Defenders of Realms: The Gathering(RotBTD)
by Kyra Tuiama
Summary: Man in Moon reveals that Jack's destiny is with another group of guardians known as the Defenders of Realms. Given a strange compass, Man in Moon tasks Jack with forming the elite Defender team by crossing the Four Realms. Join Jack as he uncovers mysteries, targeted by Pitch's forces and recruits team members to prepare for a battle against the dark forces.
1. Prologue

My first RotBTD story! I've been on rage for a while now, so I thought I'd make a fanfic!

This first chapter here is more a recap for readers who might have forgotten or have not kept in touch with the four franchises involved.

**Prologue**

Most people in the town of Burgess was unaware that anything had happened. But for a few children, that night changed their lives forever. Most notably, the life of young Jamie Bennett. In front of him stood his childhood heroes. The tall and proud man with a russian accent, Santa Claus. An elegant winged lady known as the Tooth Fairy. A large muscular rabbit with an Australian accent was the Easter Bunny. A small, mute yellow man known as the Sandman.

And most recently, a teenager with snow white hair, a blue jacket and a wooden staff. A forgotten winter spirit known as Jack Frost. Jamie had never believed in Jack Frost until now, and he definitely wasn't disappointed that he had put his faith in this mystical being.

The night was coming to an end as the soft rays of the sun began to emerge. The darkness was being chased away by the light. Just like how Jack and his friends had driven a force of darkness-Pitch Black-away.

In front of Jamie, Santa called Jack forward. One of his furry yetis brought out a large book. Jamie and his friends slowly walked forward to listen what Santa was about to say to Jack as the large book was opened.

"Do you, Jack Frost," Santa begin in a clear and concise voice. His russian accent perfectly clear, "vow to watch over the children for they are all we have, all we are and all that we will ever be?"

For a moment, Jack didn't respond. He turned to Jamie and the young boy gave him an encouraging nodded. A smile formed on Jack's lips. "I will."

Santa closed the book. "Congratulations, Jack Frost. You are now, and forever more, a Guardian!" The old man's voice boomed loud across the surface of the frozen lake. Cheering erupted from the children and the other Guardians.

From the sky, a group of reindeers landed, bringing with them a large wooden sleigh that immediately stole the attention of the kids. Bunny leaned in towards Santa. "Everyone loves the sleigh."

Sandy and Tooth got into the sleigh first, followed by Bunny. Santa was about to get on when he turned. "Jack!" he called, earning the attention of the winter spirit and Jamie. "Time to go."

Grinning, Jack made his way towards the sleigh. "You're leaving?"

Jamie's voice made him stop. Jack turned around to face the small boy. "What if Pitch comes back?" Jamie asked, his voice scared. "What if we stop believing again? If I can't see you then-"

"Whoa, slow down," Jack interjected playfully, kneeling down to look at Jamie. "Are you telling me you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up?"

"No."

"Okay. Do you stop believing believing in the sun when clouds block it out?"

Jamie chuckled slightly. "No."

"We'll always be there, Jamie," said Jack reassuringly. "And now, we'll always be here." The winter spirit touched Jamie's chest gently before giving the boy a warm smile. "Which kind of makes you a Guardian too." Standing up, Jack got ready to leave once again.

"Jack!" Quickly, Jamie ran forward and flung his arms around Jack. The fourteen year old winter spirit was caught by surprise, but slowly returned the hug. When Jamie let go, Jack grabbed his staff and hopped onto the sleigh. Bunny, Sandy and Toothless congratulated him as Santa snapped the reins, taking off into the morning sky.

––––––––––––––––––––

Sighing, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third brought a roughly drawn map down. He had drawn the map two days ago in great hopes of finding the legendary lost island of the Night Furies. His dragon, Toothless, the only known Night Fury nudged his arm.

"I'm sorry this map wasn't the real thing, bud," Hiccup said softly, letting the piece of paper fall into the fire. He had followed forged notes to an uncharted island, got himself and Toothless captured and they barely escaped with their lives.

It's only been a couple of months since the dreaded war between humans and dragons ended on their island. Even though it was because of his friendship with Toothless and their defeat of the dragon queen now dubbed the Red Death, Hiccup still wasn't able to rest easy. New problems regarding the dragons have been occurring all over the place. Hiccup himself is now a target of Alvin the Treacherous, the chief of a rival Outcast Tribe. Whether is it for his dragon training abilities or to kill him, Hiccup would never know.

As the map caught on fire, Hiccup refused to watch anymore and walked over to a table, his metal prosthetic left foot squeaking slightly as he did. On the desk was an old book with his island's crest on it. Hiccup opened the Book of Dragons and turned over to the Night Fury page.

"But hey," he suddenly said, trying to cheer himself and Toothless up. "There's nothing wrong with being one of a kind, right?"

Their silence and peacefulness was suddenly ruined when the door to his house was abruptly opened. Standing at the entrance was Astrid, her bangs messy as usual. "Would you come on?" she groaned, frustratedly. Hiccup gave the second in command of his Dragon Training Academy a confused look.

"Bork week?" Astrid reminded him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The parade?" Grinning, Hiccup placed the book back down on the table before walking towards Astrid. Outside, the plaza was decorated with signs and dragon related items to celebrate Bork Week.

Bork the Bold was known as the man who created the first copy of the Book of Dragons and Hiccup and his friends have been adding their new discoveries to it on a daily basis. His father, Stoick the Vast, had requested that Hiccup and his friends put on a dragon air show for the occasion.

Climbing onto Toothless' saddle, Hiccup looked his metal foot on the stirrup and quickly checked to see if Toothless' prosthetic tail was working properly. As he took off into the sky, his friends followed. Toothless let out a bellow as the crowd cheered from the plaza below.

Looking down, Hiccup could see his father smiling proudly up at him. It was then that Hiccup realized that a family isn't just something you're born into. He led his friends on their dragons upwards, towards the sky.

Astrid was behind him on her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly. Followed by Fishlegs on his Gronckle, Meatlug. Then the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut on their two headed Hideous Zippleback. Snotlout on his Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang, trailed just a little behind the rest of the gang.

Hiccup continued his train of thoughts. A family includes all the friends who stood beside you. Looking to his right, he saw Astrid smiling at him. To his left, Fishlegs pulled Meatlug up beside him, throwing her rocks to eat during flight.

Inside, Hiccup continued, thinking that a family included the ones that fought by his side. Just as he thought about this, he looked up at Snotlout. Who, despite arguing with Hiccup himself a lot, was an important member of the team and pulled through when it was truly needed. Snotlout smugly grinned back at Hiccup in reply as Hookfang set his horns on fire, prompting for Snotlout to exclaim in surprise.

Finally, Hiccup concluded that a family will be there for you, and you'll be there for them. Beside Snotlout, Hiccup could see the twins knocking their helmets together in their usual fashion. Smiling, Hiccup rubbed Toothless' head affectionately before the dragon suddenly gained an intense burst of speed.

As he sped through the air, Hiccup prepared himself mentally. Knowing that there will be difficult battles that are yet to come.

––––––––––––––––

Earlier that day, Princess Merida, Queen Elinor and King Fergus bid farewell to their welcomed guests from the other kingdoms. Young McGuffin spent some time kissing Merida's hand, probably because he thought he had the right to marry her. Fortunately, that offer was changed.

However, as the ships sailed off, King Fergus noticed that his troublesome three sons, Hamish, Hubert and Harris had stowed away on one of the ships and was waving happily from the mast. Groaning, the King gathered his dogs before setting out on a rowboat to catch up to the departing ships.

Now, Merida tugged on the reins of her horse, Angus. She pulled him up onto a cliff over looking the beautiful lake. A makeshift bow and arrow was over her back, a quiver sitting in her belt. Her favorite bow was currently being repaired. Her ruffled, messy red hair blew in the wind. Beside Merida, her mother appeared in a slightly elegant long flowing blue dress.

Previously, the young princess had thought that fate was something beyond her command. And that destiny is not one's own. But now, she knows better.

Pulling Angus backwards, the horse snorted. She rode into the forest, Queen Elinor following her daughter close behind as Merida continued her train of thoughts. She realized that fate lives within everyone.

Just a few days ago, she learned that her parents had arranged a marriage for her. Merida had already had a strained relationship with her mother because she was so controlling, having Merida study more princess-like duties rather than allowing her to go out and practice her archery.

During the competition for her hand, Merida herself interfered and that was the last draw with her mother. They got into a fierce argument before Merida obtained a magic cupcake, turning her mother into a bear. In the following two days, she sought to reverse the spell and was eventually successful, and the demon bear, Mor'du was killed in the process.

Now riding along the lake with her mother, Merida was certain that she changed her own fate. That she changed her life for the better. And she was unaware of the small will-o'-the-wisp that was congratulating her behind a rock. And that little wisp knows that it will guide Merida towards a much greater destiny.

––––––––––––––––

When people are happy, they celebrate. And within the Kingdom of Corona, the people have been celebrating for an entire week. Their lost princess, Rapunzel, had finally been discovered and returned to her loving parents. The said princess was out in the plaza, enjoying the freedom and atmosphere of the open world. She looked around for a dashing man in a dark blue vest. But seeing that he was nowhere to be seen, Rapunzel resumed to walking about the kingdom.

Only a week earlier, a day before her eighteenth birthday, she was still locked in a tower. A hidden tower deep within the forest. She had never left that tower because she was afraid she would be hunted for the magic healing properties of her hair. So when Flynn Rider, whom she found out later is named Eugene Fitzherbert shows up in her tower, Rapunzel had asked him to guide her to the kingdom in order to see the floating lanterns.

Throughout their adventure, Rapunzel eventually grew to love Eugene. And upon realizing she was the lost princess, Rapunzel attempted to escape her "mother", Gothel, who had hoarded her for her abilities. In the process of defeating Gothel, Rapunzel's hair lost it's magical properties due to it being cut and Eugene's life was saved. In the aftermath, she was reunited with her true parents and the celebration of that reunion is still going.

Inside, Rapunzel knew that she couldn't he happier. All around her, dreams came true for the thugs she met on her journey. One became a pianist, one found true love and one is seemingly enjoying his career as a mime. Maximus, a horse that helped her out on her journey, became the leader of the royal army. Their signature weapon became frying pans, which Rapunzel had to admit she was proud of since she was the one who first used it as a weapon.

And she was truly happy because she and Eugene would be getting married soon. Their marriage would be a few days or a week or so and the whole kingdom was getting excited about that as well.

Some of the girls beside Rapunzel were playing around with her pet, a small green chameleon she dubbed Pascal, who was changing the color of his skin according to the fruits the girls had him eat. The girls handed Pascal back to Rapunzel, who crawled up her hand and nudged her neck.

The young princess hugged her approaching parents for a moment before stepping back into the crowd, greeting a mother and daughter. As they left, Rapunzel peered upwards and noticed that her tiara was missing from her neck. An annoyed yet playful expression adorned her face when she turned around to see Eugene behind her, gesturing for the former thief to give her back her tiara.

When Eugene refused to do so, she pulled Eugene in for a kiss. In the midst of it, she could feel her tiara being returned to her head. Not that she would care at the moment of course. And while she had already found true love and will soon be married, Rapunzel's true adventure had yet to begin.

––––––––––––––––––––

The Winter Spirit, Jackson Overland Frost.

The Dragon Rider, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.

The Feisty archer, Princess Merida of Dunbroch.

The Healer Princess Rapunzel Fitzherbert of Corona.

The Prologues are over. And now, the story begins...

–––––––––––

Yes, I know Rapunzel's married. It just seemed that there was more to recap about at the end of the film rather than the short film(since it was mostly focused on Max).

Anyway, thanks for checking this story out.

Keep an eye out for Chapter 2! The real story actually begins!


	2. A New Journey

Admittedly, I don't usually update this quickly. But I really wanted to get this story started.

**Chapter One: A New Journey**

"You struck first, Jack!"

Jamie laughed as he threw a snowball forward, straight towards Jack. The winter spirit laughed before countering with a throw of his own. "Looks like someone's getting better." Jamie grinned as snow exploded in face. "Are you sure you can be out here?"

"Yeah, old North won't mind," Jack replied, throwing a bundle of snow up and down in his hand. It's only been a few days since the battle with Pitch and everything seemed to be getting back to normal. "They'll call me when it's ready."

"Your Guardian plaque?" asked Jamie. Jack nodded. He was getting his own plaque as an official guardian, and the diamond will be remade into a pentagon. The renovations were being made as they speak. Jamie sighed. "You can still come back to Burgess, right? It's kind of boring without you around."

"Oh I'll be back, kiddo," said Jack. "But keep in mind I have to spread snow day fun to other places too." The Winter Spirit stopped short. In the corner of his eye, Jack managed to catch a glimpse of a soft aurora in the sky. Smiling, Jack turned to Jamie.

The young boy turned to him, smiling. "Time for you to go?" He sounded a little disappointed, since he was about to invite the rest of his friends over for a full-on snowball fight. "See you around, Jamie," Jack grinned. "I'll say 'hi' to Phil for you!" With a movement of his staff, the wind carried him high into the air and Jack headed straight towards the North Pole.

–––––––––––––––

"Wow..." breathed Jack. North was nodding in approval. In front of Jack on the silver tiled floor was a pentagon. Each one of it's corners held a color, with each Guardian standing beside their designated corner.

Tooth stood beside a magenta corner with a fairy pattern. Bunny next to a green, a basket of eggs on his tile. Sandy was half asleep over at his yellow end, the plaque complete with soft yellow whips of sand. North stood boldly and proudly in front of the red corner, on the tiles having a stack of presents.

The final corner was blue colored with a symbol of a snowflake. "Is that mine?" Jack murmured.

"All yours!" Tooth said cheerfully. One of her fairies, Baby Tooth, flew up to Jack and started twittering, prompting the boy to laugh. He turned to Bunny with his boomerangs. "You did good, mate."

"No hard feelings?" Jack asked.

"None whatsoever. But you mess up another one of my egg hunts and it won't be pretty."

Sandy's eyelids fluttered open as he created a picture of a smiling face on top of his head. Jack chuckled slightly. "Well, don't just keep quiet," bellowed North, patting Jack on the shoulder. "What do you think?"

"It's...awesome. I don't know what to say," Jack replied honestly. "I never thought that after three hundred years of being invisible, I'd suddenly become a Guardian in a few days, let alone fight against Pitch."

"Manny chooses the Guardians well, Jack," said North. "If you really do have what it takes, there is no doubt that Manny will choose you for something great!"

Jack shrugged. "But with Pitch defeated, what else is there to do?"

"Oh he'll come back," Bunny muttered. "Just because he was dragged away by his own nightmares doesn't mean he'll ever give up scheming."

"We have kept him at bay for centuries after all, Jack," Tooth added. "A single loss won't crumple him completely."

"Alright, so we just have to wait until he strikes again then kick his butt," said Jack. "Sounds good."

"Except for the fact that he keeps getting stronger each time he returns," Bunny suddenly pointed out. "We can't keep beating him forever."

"What do you want to do, North?" Tooth asked, turning towards the leader of the Guardians. The Sandman held up his hands, stating that he doesn't have any suggestions. Thinking for a moment, North turned to the bright moon above them, it's mysterious light shining in from the windows. "Manny? Do you want to reform, _that?_"

Bunny's ears twitched. "Oh no, you can't possibly be meaning to do _that_ would you? The last team your little team got together, the worlds became chaotic."

"Though he did manage to get Pitch to hide in the shadows for another three hundred years," added Tooth. Sandy nodded and Baby Tooth chittered in reply.

Jack stepped in between the conversation. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What 'team'? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"North here," Bunny began, "was in more than one team than the Guardians."

"But Man in Moon decommissioned him years ago."

As if on cue, the moonlight shifted. The light focused on the very pentagon of plaques, a shadow slowly forming. Looking down, North soon recognized it was a silhouette of-

"Jack?" North wondered, straightening up. "He's the next leader?"

"The leader of what?" The winter spirit groaned. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?" On the ground, an image of a compass started to appear. North nodded in understanding. "So it's not just him."

Annoyed, Jack slams the tip of his staff hard into the ground, a small cold wind picking up. "Are you guys forcing me to join a team again?"

"Oh no," Bunny said, becoming amused by Jack's behavior. "You're not going to be joining, mate. You're going to be making a team."

Jack blinked. "What?" He felt something tugging his legs and noticed that it was Sandman, who nudged his head towards North. He nodded. "I'll explain." North gestured for Jack to follow him into the workshop, to which Jack hastily followed.

North closed the elevator door as they headed down. "There is more than one group of warriors to fight Evil like Pitch, Jack. We Guardians are one of them. But the one Man in Moon had mentioned are known as the Defenders of Realms."

"Defenders?" Jack repeated. The elevator came to a stop. Jack hurried after North, slipping past the giant yetis that were still working making toys for the children.

"Yes." By this time, they had reached North's workshop. Stepping in, the door closed behind him. "Take a seat, Jack," said North. Finding a corner of a table free, Jack sat on it. North laid back in his comfortable rolling chair.

"There are three other worlds that run parallel to our own. Normally, these three would not meet. But the Defenders are the exception." North rolled on his chair, sliding towards a slightly cluttered shelf. As he searched it, he continued to explain. "The Defenders are a group of four people, one from each of the worlds. Their job is quite similar to that of the Guardians. But they don't just protect the children." North paused to allow his words to sink in. "They protect the balance of Good and Evil in all worlds."

"Okay, this is fascinating and all, but how does this relate to me?" muttered Jack.

"Ah," said North, bringing out a silver compass. He threw it to Jack, who barely managed to catch it in time. "That is the Core Compass, it will allow you to travel across the worlds. Your job, Jack, is to form and lead the fourth generation of Defenders."

"Wait, what? Me?" Jack stared at North in disbelief. "Oh no, all I do is throw snowballs and do a few fancy ice tricks. I can't be a Defender. Let alone a leader."

"That's what you said about being a Guardian before," North reminded him sternly. "And now, look at you."

"Well yeah, but..." Jack's voice trailed off. "I didn't have to lead or do anything. All I did was help Jamie believe and only help in the battle against Pitch. I didn't have to be making tough decisions or be responsible for the lives of my subordinates. Bunny was right back then. I'm irresponsible."

"Man in Moon chose you for a reason, Jack. If it's not just for your center, then it must be for your heart, bravery and courage!" In his hands, Jack still held the compass. North walked up to the young boy and closed Jack's fingers around the item. "And now, I'm sure you will be able to choose the Defenders wisely."

For a moment, Jack did not say anything. "This is a lot to process, though. Heck, I don't even know where to begin." North mused over the statement for a while before walking back to the shelf and bringing out a scroll.

"Manny chose me as a Defender once," said North, his voice slightly muffled since he was facing away. "But I was decommissioned three hundred years ago. Though I did have a teammate I chose named Grimbeard the Ghastly. And good old Grimbeard went to see a soothsayer when he was curious about his future and ended up getting a prediction of not only his future, but his descendants. He told me that if any one of us Guardians needed help to seek out his true heir."

North brought out a dusty scroll before turning to Jack, a smile on his face. "And he said that his heir will become your right-hand man. Just like how he became mine." North handed out the scroll. Putting the compass in his blue sweatshirt pocket, Jack took the scroll and unrolled it. Sketched onto the old paper were words. It was an old language, and he hadn't seen it in at least two hundred years. Slowly, Jack translated them.

At the top was the name of North's teammate, Grimbeard the Ghastly. He followed along the lines that went through four more generations before finally ending at a name. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third?"

North nodded. "I recommend that's where you start. Now come on, take out the compass." Jack folded the scroll and put it in the pocket before bringing out the device. North took it in his hands for a moment. "All you have to do is focus on where do you want to go. Which is, for now, the Second World."

In his head, Jack allowed the words "second world" to echo. Taking the compass from North's hands, it started to glow. The old man had a smile on his face. "Good luck, Jack."

Jack couldn't help but smile as well as he gripped his staff in the other hand. "I won't let you down." With a flash of light, the winter spirit disappeared. North laughed to himself. However, his eyes soon trailed to his hands. Sitting in his palm, to his despair, was a small cluster of black sand. North bit his lip and spat the devil's name out almost venomously.

At the entrance to the workshop, the other Guardians emerged. "Did he leave already?" Tooth chimed. "I was hoping to get another look at that teeth first."

"Well, we wish him good luck either way," Bunny added. North remained silent. Bunny's expression darkened. "North, what's wrong."

Allowing his hand to drop, the dark sand slowly fell to the floor, earning gasps from Tooth. Sandman felt his anger rising.

"Pitch," Bunny growled. "What did he do?"

"I should have noticed it sooner," said North, solemnly. He turned to face the remaining Guardians. "He sabotaged the compass."

––––––––––––––––––––––

And Hiccup's up first, coming in the next chapter! Unfortunately, there probably won't be a lot on the remaining Guardians for the rest of the story.

Look out for Chapter Two: The Dragon Rider


	3. The Dragon Rider

Another chapter! I must be on rage. And I might stop updating for a while since I have final end of year exams coming up...I'm not even in high school yet...(sob).

**Chapter Two: The Dragon Rider**

Jack thought flying was supposed to be enjoyable. He stood corrected.

Everything flew by in a flurry of colors that it hurt to look. His stomach felt as if it was being flipped over. Jack's hold on the compass tightened, as if he would lose his grip on reality if he let go. Just as he thought he was going to throw up his last meal, everything came to an abrupt stop.

Jack found himself in the middle of the blue sky. The sun was gentle and the temperature was not as cold as the North Pole. He knew that he had actually crossed worlds. Jack didn't have time to take in his surroundings.

In a split second, a flurry of black zipped right past him. Exclaiming in surprise, the pressure prompted Jack to drop his staff and the boy began spiraling down. In front of him, Jack could see his staff spinning around crazily. Tucking the Core Compass into his pocket, he made a desperate reach for it, only to barely touch it with the tips of his fingers.

Biting his lip, Jack noticed that he was about to crash into the sea below. Suddenly, a high pitched screech was heard, catching Jack's attention.

"Got'cha!" A second later, Jack felt himself land on something hard. When he realized that he wasn't wet, he figured it wasn't the sea. He felt that his legs were split apart, as if he was sitting on a horse. Opening his eyes, Jack yelped as he noticed that he was still flying.

In front of him was a boy around his age, maybe a little shorter. His leather vest was flapping in the air. "You okay back there?" the boy asked, turning his head around. In one free hand, the boy held an item familiar to Jack. "I caught your staff."

"Uh..." Jack began, taking the staff from the boy's hands. "Thanks." Looking down, Jack saw that he was sitting on a saddle on the back of some creature. "What the-?" Jack leaped, using his legs to push him off the saddle. The winter spirit hovered above the air. The boy stopped advancing and pulled the strange creature to flap it's great black wings, hovering in the air.

Jack stared at the duo in surprise. "What _is_ that thing?"

"This?" the boy asked, motioning his finger towards his steed. "You've never seen a dragon before?" The word "see" played in Jack's mind before he jerked backwards. "Wait, how can you even see me?"

The boy had a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Do you believe in me?"

For a moment, the boy looked at Jack. He took into account of his blue clothing. His flight and staff. How he was able to summon wind. "Of course I believe in you. You're Jokul Frosti. There isn't a person who lives in a place as cold as Berk and not believe in a winter spirit. Though I wonder why you're down here."

Jack was silent for a moment. "Okay, first off, it's Jack Frost. Second, I'm a different winter spirit to the one you're talking about. Third, what do you mean that's a dragon."

The boy laughed. "Exactly what I mean. You're looking at the only Night Fury known in existence." Jack caught sight of the boy's left foot, finding that it was made of metal. The boy noticed Jack's expression.

"Oh, that thing? It's nothing to be worried about." He shifted his weight on the stirrup, changing the angle of the dragon's metal prosthetic left tail fin. With a leap, the boy pushed himself off the saddle. Both him and the dragon started to dive towards the sea, causing Jack to exclaim in surprise. The winter spirit shot after the duo. "Hey, kid!" he yelled. "Are you alright?"

In front of him, the boy hauled himself back onto the saddle of his dragon before both of them sped right up past Jack. The boy pulled himself beside the confused Guardian. Jack was at a lost for words. "Who are you?"

"Hiccup," said the boy. "This is my dragon, Toothless." The Night Fury let out a cry of delight. Hiccup smiled at Jack. "And welcome to Berk."

The boy's name caught Jack off guard. "Hiccup? As in Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third?" Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed. "How did you know my full name."

"It's all right in here!" Jack reached into his pocket and brought out the scroll, hastily snapping it open. "Your great-great-grandfather's Grimbeard the Ghastly! He was a comrade of one of my friends and he told me to seek you out so that you could help me on my journey."

Hiccup blinked. "Um, Jack, I think you're misunderstanding something. Grimbeard the Ghastly was the greatest hero of the Barbaric Archipelago, the King of the Wilderwest. There's no way I can be related to such an incredible warrior." As he spoke, Hiccup gestured to himself. It was then that Jack noticed that Hiccup was actually rather skinny, and it seemed that he was a little short for his height. Hiccup sighed. "Besides, my great-great grandfather was Hamish the First, not Grimbeard. Where did you even get that idea?"

"I'm telling you, Grimbeard met with a soothsayer who gave him a list of his descendants, and you were at the bottom of the list!"

"I don't think that's possible," Hiccup muttered. His expression suddenly lightened. "So, Jack, got a place to stay for tonight? If you don't, I can ask my dad and he can pull a few strings."

"Uh, no thanks. I'm used to living outside."

Hiccup nodded in understanding. Toothless suddenly purred. "Oh right!" Hiccup suddenly exclaimed. "I'll be late!. Oh boy, Astrid's going to skin me alive if I'm late to the Academy again."

The prosthetic stirrup clicking, Toothless shot forward. "Whoa!" shouted Jack. "Where are you going?"

"Berk Dragon Academy," Hiccup answered. "You wanna come take a look?" Jack considered the offer for a moment. Dragons. He would be able to see more of those strange creatures. And it seemed like a lot of fun. That was something he wasn't going to miss out on. "Yeah, wait up!"

–––––––––––––––––––––

If looks could kill, Jack figured that he would be dead by now. The winter spirit gulped before nudging Hiccup's shoulder. "Who is that?" He pointed to a viking girl standing in front of him with blonde hair.

Hiccup sighed. "Sorry I'm late. Anyway," Hiccup gestured to all of his friends. "Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Jack Frost. Jack Frost, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut."

"Hiccup," Astrid began, a slightly scary tone in her voice. "I thought you learned something about bringing random people to the Dragon Academy. Must I remind you what happened with Heather?"

Hiccup groaned. "Astrid, I did not just find Jack in a shipwrecked boat. And he doesn't even seen to be from anywhere near. He's never seen a dragon."

"Really?" Fishlegs, the large boy asked. "Where're you from, Jack?" The Winter Spirit scratched the back of his head. "You probably won't believe me if I told you."

"Well," said Hiccup, "some pretty crazy things happen around here. So just give it a shot."

So Jack gave a brief explanation of from where he was, that he was a Guardian, his center being fun, him only being able to be seen by those who believe in him, North's story and the mission he was tasked with. The entire arena fell quiet.

"That's far fetched," Astrid muttered. "Even for us."

"Though some of his facts do match up," Fishlegs pointed out. "Especially how he knows about Grimbeard the Ghastly and Hiccup's full name. It's probably not a coincidence."

"Don't forget I saw him flying," Hiccup added, Toothless nodding from behind.

Jack suddenly felt his staff being pulled out of his hands. Tuffnut yanked the staff and looked at it in wonder. "Whoa. Cool staff."

"Hey!" Jack hastily snatched it back.

"Is that supposed to be a weapon?" asked Snotlout. "It doesn't look like it can do much." Grinning, Jack turned to Hiccup. "May I?"

"Be my guest."

With a small burst of blue coming out of the tip of his staff, ice suddenly formed in front of Snotlout's feet. With a single step forward, Snotlout slipped and fell hard on his back. Laughter erupted from the viking teens, with Hiccup letting out a chuckle. Fishlegs beamed happily. "Jack Frost, I have newfound respect for you."

Snotlout slowly staggered to his feet, glaring at Jack. The Guardian pointed the curved end of his staff at Snotlout. "Remember, I can still freeze your guts out."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Snotlout grumbled. "Fishlegs, you can stop laughing now."

Holding in another large burst of laughter, Hiccup walked over to Jack. "That's pretty cool. You said you came here from another world. Can I see that Compass you were talking about?"

"Sure." Jack dug into his pocket, bringing out the silver device and passed it onto Hiccup. Pressing a button on the side, the lid popped open. Hiccup looked at it in curiosity. "This is really interesting. I should pop this open and see the workings inside it."

On his hand, Hiccup felt a strange sensation. Bringing it out, Hiccup realized that his hand was covered in- "Black sand?" he murmured, catching Jack's attention.

"Black sand?" he repeated. "That's impossible. Where would black sand-" Jack's eyes widened as a surge of epiphany shot through him. "Everyone get down!" But Jack's heart sunk when he realized he was too late. Hiccup felt himself slam hard onto the ground, air being knocked right out of his lungs.

What held him to the ground was a dark black hoof. Astrid gulped as she slowly backed up towards her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly. "Jack, what is that?" she asked, her voice quivering. Fishlegs and the others shrunk back. Jack brought his staff forward and pointed it at the strange dark horse. The Guardian growled between gritted teeth. "Nightmares."

–––––––––––––––––––––

Initially, I was going to continue this chapter, but it was already nearing 2,000 words and if I added in the next event, it was going to end up being pretty long. So...hang in there and wait for Chapter Three: New Target


	4. New Target

Screw studying for exams. This is much more fun. Honestly, I never expected this chapter to be so long! Anyway, enjoy!

Sadly, I don't own any of the four franchises involved. If I did, a crossover would've been made a loooong time ago.

**Chapter Three: New Target**

North paced back and forth in his workshop, hand on his chin. He wracked his brain, in case he could come up with another way to cross the worlds. Bunny was in the room with him, leaning on the door, sharpening his boomerang while waiting. "What about that snow globe thingy, North? You know, the one that keeps making me want to hurl?"

"No, no, no," he answered. "The inspiration from that globe came from the Core Compass, but it can only transport us anywhere on Earth, not across dimensions."

Bunny growled under his breath. "Oh, what does that damned rotten Pitch want to go as far to sabotage the Compass? If he wanted to take revenge on Jack, he could've done it here in our world."

"Though Jack has us around now. Pitch would consider taking on all of us."

"But knowing Pitch, I'd say he could just manipulate Jack into going somewhere alone with him. Then he could extract his revenge. Jack told us about Pitch taking Baby Tooth hostage. That demon could do the same to Jamie."

It was then that North's eyes widened. "Maybe because Pitch's target isn't Jack." He paused. "This time, I feel it in my belly."

"Not Jack?" Bunny repeated. "Then who?" The door to the workshop opened, forcing Bunny to jump backwards just as Tooth came rushing in. One look at her panicked eyes and North could tell it was trouble.

"Man in Moon," said Tooth. "He's trying to tell us something." Gently pushing Bunny and Tooth aside, North quickly headed for the platform. At the plaques, Sandman was still there, a small image of the crescent moon above his head. He pointed onto the floor.

Following Sandy's fingers, North noticed a shadow in the moonlight. Slowly, it morphed into a silhouette of a skinny boy. North took account of the boy's left foot, and how it seemed irregularly shaped, as if it was a prosthetic.

Bunny ran up behind the old man. "So? What is it?"

North was quiet for a moment. "Just as I feared." He turned to face the Guardians. "Pitch is after ol' Grimbeard's heir." The remaining Guardians turned towards each other with curious faces before North continued his explanation.

"According to the soothsayer, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third would be a great viking hero. His courage and heart would outrank all the rest. His acts of kindness, the hopes in his heart and how he tries not to resort to violence. When faced with a downed dragon, the tradition of his tribe was to end it, and get respect from the tribe, which was something the boy wanted all his life. But he befriended it instead."

"So he valued life above what he wanted most?" Tooth clarified. North nodded. "But there are two sides to every person, and Grimbeard's heir will have the most drastic opposite. If Pitch manages to persuade him into joining Pitch and awaken his hidden darkness, there's no telling what will happen."

"Well then, what's worse case scenario?" Bunny asked. North turned to face him, a stern look in his eyes. "Then all our worlds will be wrapped in darkness for eternity."

–––––––––––––––––––

"Hiccup!"

Astrid's screamed echoed in the spacious arena. The dark horse simply snorted at her before pushing it's hoof harder onto the center of Hiccup's back. The young boy choked back a cry of pain.

"What is that thing?" spat out Fishlegs. Now that his friends were in danger, there was no way he was going to back down. Slowly, black dust poured almost as if infinitely out of the compass, taking shape as an ominous onyx horses. It's golden eyes flared.

"Nightmares, manifestations of fear. This is the work of Pitch," Jack quickly explained.

"Pitch?" Snotlout repeated. "You mean that creepy dude you thought you defeated from your story."

"That's him," said Jack, his staff still pointed at the Nightmare that pinned down his new friend. "But I don't understand." Beside Jack, Toothless growled. He only stood down because he was confused as to what was happening. But now he was certain that Hiccup was in danger, and was getting ready to pounce. "Hold on for a second." Jack held his hand in front of Toothless, telling him to wait for a moment.

The Guardian slightly lowered his weapon, his guard still unwavering. "Pitch is after me, isn't he?" Jack declared in a loud voice, earning the attention of Nightmares, humans and dragons. "Leave Hiccup out of this." Jack scoffed in his mind. 'Am I going to be abandoning the mission now?' He smirked. 'Forget it.'

Bringing up his staff, Jack shot a beam of bright blue ice towards the Nightmares. The moment he struck the first move, chaos erupted as the Nightmares screeched and charged. "Toothless, now!" Jack shouted, moving his hand away. Toothless shot forward and with a single hard slash of his tail, turned a nightmare to ashes.

Jack jumped, using his abilities to stay afloat. A wave of Nightmares started galloping upwards. Snotlout groaned. "They can fly too?"

"No time to complain!" Astrid sharply yelled. "Dragons, everyone." On signal, the viking teens climbed onto their companions. Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang, breathed out a massive wall of fire. Slashing out it's tail in the air, Stormfly shot a flurry of spikes through the flames. As they were bathed in flames, the thorns dug themselves into the Nightmares. With loud squeals, they turned to dust.

The Nightmare on Hiccup pushed his hoof down harder, as if to keep the oxygen from coming into the boy's lungs. Hiccup began to feel his chest throb and ache above anything he'd ever experienced.

With a large flurry of orange, the Nightmare dispersed. Suddenly being able to breathe properly, Hiccup sucked in as much air as he could. His sides were nudged by whom he soon realized what Toothless. Hiccup sat up, sighing. "Thanks, bud."

"Whoa!" Jack ducked, forcing two of the Nightmares to crash into each other. The winter spirit flew out the arena. Looking back, Jack caught sight of furious eyes. Lashing out his staff, his created a stream of ice.

Shaking his head, Hiccup turned towards the sky, seeing Jack battle with the Nightmares. He turned to look at Astrid. "You go on ahead!" she answered. "We'll handle the ones down here." Green smoke started to cover the floor of the Academy, signaling that an explosion would be coming soon.

Hiccup nodded. "Thanks, Astrid." Throwing his leg over Toothless' back, Hiccup secured his metal foot on the stirrup with a solid click. "Let's go, bud." Toothless ran out the exit of the arena before taking off into the air.

Jack felt his breath hitch before hitting a Nightmare with his staff. A shadow of black sped past him, causing him to grin. With his wings spread out, with a single sweep through the air, many of the Nightmares were reduced to ashes. A laugh escaped Jack's lips when he heard Hiccup whooping. "Jack, duck!"

Quickly jerking downwards, a flurry of orange flew over his head, dispersing a Nightmare behind him. Jack heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks." His expression suddenly turned into one of panic. "Look out!"

A split second later, Hiccup exclaimed in pain as a Nightmare sped past him, slicing a cut onto his left arm. Clutching his arm with his right hand, Hiccup felt it was warm and slightly wet. He bit his lip before pushing the pain to the back of his mind. "Seriously, what on Earth are those creatures?"

Shooting a brilliant blue beam from his staff, Jack struck the Nightmare down with a single blow. "They're not just bad dreams anymore," said Jack. "They've become the embodiment of darkness itself."

"Oh well thank you, for summing that up." Hiccup pulled Toothless hard to the left as they narrowly avoided a Nightmare. Flying forward, Hiccup followed Jack as they flew into the direction of the village. Soon, brown roofs could be seen below them. Looking over their shoulders, the two boys saw the cloud of black coming after them.

"You take the ones on the left I'll take the ones on the right?" asked Jack.

"Sounds like a plan," Hiccup answered. The two split, the cloud also breaking apart. Hicucp leaned in slightly towards his dragon. "Let's show them what we can do, bud." His arm stung with pain but Hiccup ignored it. Toothless curled in the air for a second before sharply turning back towards the Nightmares. With consecutive three blasts, and a slice of his prosthetic tail, Toothless managed to get rid of all the Nightmares. Hiccup panted with exhaustion. "Good work, bud."

Looking down, Hiccup felt his heart sink. Jack ducked behind a house, causing a Nightmare to crash into it. Hiccup winced. The Winter Spirit leaped off a roof while misleading another Nightmare. In seconds the roof crumbled, earning shrieks and screams. Biting his lip, Hiccup turned Toothless into a dive towards the plaza. As some of the Nightmares changed targets, they galloped towards Hiccup and Toothless.

The Night Fury let out a blast of fire. A Nightmare sidestepped, allowing the blast to hit one of the large poles that supported a large container of fish for dragons, spilling it all over the plaza.

Freezing several Nightmares in the air, Jack crashed into another house. If that fall was enough to dent metal, then the wooden hut didn't stand a chance. Jack ran out, shielding his head from an angry viking woman. Running out, Jack found himself in the plaza where an unamused Hiccup stood.

Looking around, Jack noticed that there wasn't another Nightmare in the sky. "Hey, at least we got rid of all of them," he said. The door to the house at the top of the hill beside the plaza opened up, a large viking man stepping out. Hiccup didn't need to look behind him to figure out who it was. "Oh gods, show me mercy..."

The man, Stoick the Vast, loomed over the two boys. Hiccup braced himself.

"Hiccup!" Stoick's voice bellowed, fuming with anger. He looked at the destroyed houses and wrecked plaza. "What in the name of Thor is going on?"

"Uh..." Hiccup began, trying to find the words to explain. "Force of habit?" Stoick groaned. "Hiccup, you're my son. You're going to be chief one day. I thought you stopped destroying the village since the Dragon Raids!"

"I did, Dad! Just let me explain," said Hiccup hurriedly. Stoick looked past Hiccup at Jack for a moment. The Winter Spirit gave the viking chief a quick wave before Stoick turned away. Putting a hand on his son's back, the two turned towards their home. "That explanation of yours had better make sense."

Hiccup gulped. "I wouldn't be sure of that." Jack laughed as the door to Hiccup's house, the Haddock Household closed. But his expression suddenly darkened. The Nightmares didn't attack him. They attacked Hiccup. That must mean Pitch is after him. Jack started having second thoughts of asking Hiccup to join his team. But if he was left here on Berk, that doesn't mean the Nightmares won't come back.

Jack felt his heart sink. He had tried to help Man in Moon and the Guardians fight against Pitch. But in the process, he had just put his new friend's life in untold mortal danger.

––––––––––––––––––

Well, that's it! Sorry if it's just RotG and HTTYD for now. Brave should become involved in 1 – 2 chapters. Look out for Chapter Four: Hunted.


	5. Hunted

This fanfic is fun to write.

And I will say it right now! This is not a HiccupxJack story! It's not that I have anything against that ship, it's just that I already ship Hiccup with Astrid(hard). Also, I ship Rapunzel with Flynn, so the only possible ship that I might write between the characters is between Jack and Merida. But even that is not confirmed since I am not that much of a romance writer.

**Chapter Four: Hunted**

Above him, Jack noticed the moon looking down upon him. Lying down on the wooden roof of the Haddock Household, the winter sprit rested his head on his arms. The moon still gave off a slightly warm feeling. Jack smiled softly. "You're still watching over me here, aren't you?" He sighed. "Am I doing the right thing? Bringing Hiccup into this. This battle is between us Guardians and Pitch. Do we need to get other people involved?"

Like always, the moon didn't give him an answer. Well, Jack figured he was used to that. Taking out the Core Compass from his pocket, Jack examined it for a while. After making sure that no more Nightmares were hiding inside of it, Jack placed it back in his sweatshirt. In one hand, Jack clenched his staff tightly. 'If Pitch hurts another one of my friends, I'll freeze his guts out.'

"Jack?" a sleepy voice called from below. Peering down through the window, Jack found himself looking at Hiccup. Berk's young heir rubbed his eyes sleepily. "You're still up at this hour?"

"Yeah..." Jack grumbled in reply. "Just deep in thought I guess." Jack's eyes wandered down to Hiccup's bandaged arm. He redirected his gaze. "Where's your father."

The question slightly caught Hiccup off guard, but he answered anyway. "He should be downstairs." Jack hopped down from the roof through the window, lying beside Hiccup's wooden bed. Making his way towards the stairs, Jack walked past a barely awake Toothless who just popped an eye open to see what was happening. Hiccup then crawled back into his bed, pulling his blanket over him.

At the bottom of the stairs, Jack saw Stoick still sitting at the table, face buried in his hands. The chief looked at the winter spirit for a moment. "Take a seat, Jack."

Pulling out a chair, Jack sat on it. "You wouldn't by any chance believe my story would you, chief?"

Stoick let out an exhausted sigh. "I have to admit that I do. It is possible that Hiccup has the blood of Grimbeard the Ghastly, but there hasn't been any solid proof. Hiccup's great-great grandfather was Hamish the First, who existed around the same time as Grimbeard the Ghastly. Both of them became rulers of Berk at one point, so I'm sure Hiccup nows that there might have been a slip-up in the records. Hiccup isn't the strongest man in the village. I mean, you've seen my boy. He can't lift a hammer, he can't throw an axe and he's small beyond average."

"I see what you mean," Jack mumbled before suddenly brightening. "But he managed to tame a dragon. Won't that mean that he's special?"

"I'm afraid that it does," said Stoick. "For Hiccup's sake, don't push the possibility of him being Grimbeard's heir. That old viking was a hero, but he also had many burdens and was undoubtably strong. If Hiccup were to follow in his footsteps, it might end in tragedy. Grimbeard lost his throne and power all in one night. I don't want Hiccup to suffer the pain of losing something he cares about."

Jack nodded. "Alright. So, can I take him along on my journey? If he stays here, the Nightmares can attack again."

"But if he goes with you, they can still follow him." Stoick exhaled loudly. "I'll give it some thought. I'll let you know my answer soon."

Jack smiled slightly. "Thank you, sir."

––––––––––––––––––––––

Panting, Jack ran up the stairs. Reaching the top floor, he poked the sleeping viking with the end of his staff, hard. Hiccup exclaimed in surprise as he was pushed off the bed. He jolted upright. "Jack! What in the name of Thor are you doing? There are more subtle ways to wake someone up!"

Toothless abruptly awoke, his fangs suddenly appearing. Upon seeing it was only Jack, Toothless sucked his jaws back down below his gums. Sighing, Hiccup turned to look at Jack as he slowly got out from the back. "What is it?"

"I was at the Academy with the others. The twins suddenly came in," explained Jack. Hiccup rubbed the back of his head. "It's not like that's anything new."

"They said they spotted Outcast ships," continued Jack. At that moment, Hiccup's entire body tensed and his eyes grew wide. Hiccup pushed Jack aside, his expression turning serious. Getting on Toothless, Hiccup secured his foot. His arm slightly ached but he ignored it. Toothless hopped out the window before spreading out his wings and starting to fly.

"Hey!" Jack called. "Hold on. Hiccup, wait!" Leaping into the air, Jack followed the duo down to the docks. Toothless landed on the wooden pier, with Jack doing so seconds afterwards. Hiccup noticed that Astrid, the other viking teens and their dragons were already at the scene. His father and the village blacksmith, Gobber, stood tall and proud surrounded by an army of vikings.

Hiccup slid off of his Night Fury. "Dad, what's going on? If the Outcasts are here, give me the signal and Toothless and I will sink their ships."

"Wait. It seems to be a messenger boat," Stoick replied. "We didn't see any weapons on the boat when Gobber and I went to check it with Thornado."

"More importantly," Gobber added. "There was only one man onboard." Following Hiccup's gaze, Jack found himself looking at a wooden boat with a skull hanging from the front. The ship pulled in at the pier. Many of the vikings drew their swords and held up their spears.

"Wait!" yelled a voice. An Outcast stepped out from the ship and onto the pier. Hiccup recognized the man. "Savage," he spat out, almost venomously. "Why are you here?"

"I carry a message from our leader, Alvin the Treacherous." Clearing his throat, Savage brought out a scroll. Unrolling it, he read off the paper. "Stoick the Vast, from Mildew, I am pleased to inform you that I have know learned the art of training dragons."

Hiccup felt his fists clench in anger as a few gasps and murmurs escaped from the crowd. Stoick furrowed his eyebrows, but gesture for Savage to continue. The Outcast nodded. "We, the Outcasts wish to proclaim an all-out war against Berk." Everyone within earshot started to panic. Savage did not stop reading. "If you wish to prevent this battle, hand over your son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. In the scenario in which you do not, we will rage war."

Savage finally stopped. The crowd of vikings was about to go insane. Hiccup felt like he stopped breathing. His worst enemy, Alvin the Treacherous, is going to declare war on his home island, with the ultimatum for stopping it being handing himself over. For a moment, Hiccup considered walking over to Savage, heading to Outcast Island and never see his friends again.

Snotlout suddenly stepped forward. "If it's war you Outcasts want, it's war you'll get!" he roared. "Hookfang and I are going to sink your ships and burn that flesh right off your bones." Fishlegs turned to look at his friend, caught off guard by what he said. He put on a brave face. "You touch Hiccup and I'll obliterate."

"Don't mess with my friends," Astrid growled, threateningly that it sent a small shiver down Hiccup's spine. Jack looked around him in surprise as the rest of the vikings started yelling that they won't hand Hiccup over. Stoick looked down at his son before turning towards Savage. "We accept Alvin's declaration of war!"

Berk's warriors bursted into a chorus of shouts and war cries. Savage backed towards his boat. "Alvin will make you regret it." Pushing off the docks, Savage began to sail towards Outcast Island. Bringing his fist down, Snotlout signaled Hookfang. The Monstrous Nightmare breathed out flames, scorching a bit of the ship's sail.

For a few moments, Hiccup stood awestruck. When he finally brought himself back to his senses, he turned towards his father. "Dad, I-"

"Hiccup, leave Berk," Stoick replied sternly. Hiccup's eyes widened in shock. "What? And leave you to fight against Alvin on your own? You heard Savage, he has dragons! No, I'm staying here and fighting."

"If Alvin gets his hands on you, it's all over," said Stoick. He hugged his son tightly. "Hiccup, join Jack and go with him. At least I know you'll be safe from Alvin's clutches." Hiccup felt his eyes begin to sting as he wrapped his arms around his father. Jack watched the scene, grinning. 'It must be nice to still have a family.'

Standing up, Stoick smiled solemnly. "May Odin watch over you, Hiccup," he said before turning his village. "Men! Get your weapons! Prepare to battle!" As Berk's men chorused in agreement, Astrid walked up to Hiccup. She threw her arms over him. "You'd better come back alive." Looking at Hiccup, she cupped his face with her hands before quickly pressing her lips against his. Snotlout groaned in the background as Astrid pulled away. Hiccup was still red in the face. "Go," she said. "We'll handle this."

Jack waved his hand in front of Hiccup's face. "Earth to Hiccup, let's get going." Hiccup shook his head to get himself out of the daze. "R-right." Hiccup hauled himself onto Toothless saddle. Jack leaped off the pier, heading high into the sky. Toothless pushed himself off and Hiccup followed Jack through the skies.

"Is Astrid your girlfriend or something?" the winter spirit suddenly jeered, amused when Hiccup's face turned even redder. "I wouldn't say 'girlfriend'," he grumbled. Jack laughed wholeheartedly. "Don't worry, with a little luck, you'll make it back in one piece."

"That's great to hear." Hiccup paused for a moment as he saw Jack take out the Compass. "Jack, where are we going?" Beaming excitedly, Jack clutched the Compass in his hand. "The Third World."

Astrid looked up at the sky. Seeing Hiccup with Jack made her feel a little at ease. She chuckled slightly. "Hiccup's going to do something stubborn again, isn't he?"

"That's just the way he is," Fishlegs added. "Relax, he'll be fine." Astrid nodded. "I'm sure he will be." A flash of light suddenly engulfed Hiccup, Toothless and Jack and in seconds, the three of them disappeared.

–––––––––––––––

That's probably the only romance scene I'll ever write in this fan fiction. In other news, Merida makes her appearance in the next chapter: The Archer(obvious title).


	6. The Archer

EXAMS ARE OVER! Whoo, it took some time to get this chapter done. Please enjoy! Oh, and I have three installments of this series planned. I'm hoping to finish all three during my upcoming summer break! Please look forward to it!

**Chapter Five: The Archer**

Poking the fire, Merida took a deep breath in, savoring the soft smell of charcoal. Her mother, Queen Elinor turned the stick piercing two raw fish the two caught fresh from the stream. "Like this, Merida?" Elinor asked her daughter.

Looking at the fish, Merida noticed that it started to change in color. "Now just keep turning, mum. It'll be ready to eat in no time." Sitting on a nearby rock, Merida laid her bow beside her. Gazing up at the sky, Merida exhaled. "It's kind of nostalgic, isn't it?"

Elinor grinned as she chuckled slightly. "It seemed like a long time ago. Since I was turned into a bear."

"How does it feel, though?" Merida suddenly inquired. "Having strength of ten men and all."

"It's not that much to fuss about, really," Elinor replied, waving it off. The Queen's attention moved to her daughter's bow. "Is it, you know?"

"It's not the same," said Merida. Seeing her mother's expression grow slightly darker, Merida immediately brightened up. "It's even better." Heaving a sigh of relief, Elinor smiled at her daughter. A silence fell upon the two as the sound of the creek made all the noise they head.

Suddenly, loud rustling was heard among the bushes. Elinor gasped as she turned around in surprise. "What was that?" she hissed. Merida's body tensed. Reaching out her arm, Merida grabbed the bow. "I don't think that was a rabbit."

The rustling was heard again, this time coming from behind Merida. In an instant, she pulled back on her bow, the arrow already poised to fire. Silence fell on the two again. Merida lowered her guard. "I'm going to go take a look around," she said, walking away from the fire.

"Do be careful, Merida!" Elinor called. Merida turned back and gave her mother a nod. After several minutes of walking through the forest, Merida found herself in front of a familiar sight. Large stones stood vertically in a circle. She was at the Ring of Stones. Looking at the only stone that had fallen down, Merida's mind flashed back to the battle between the great demon bear, Mor'du.

Slowly, Merida felt her heartbeat quicken. Her instinct nagged her. Something wasn't right. Behind her, Merida heard the sound of hooves. Turning around, she raised her bow, only to be met with a pitch black horse. Black dust trailed from it's manes. Merida faltered slightly, uncertain was the strange creature friend or foe.

The horse snorted, startling Merida. In a flash, it leaped forward. Out of instinct, Merida fired, the arrow flying and piercing the horse. In seconds, the animal fell to the ground, reduced to ashes. Panting, Merida gripped her bow tight. 'What was that?'

Before she could finish her thoughts, a flurry of black caught her eye. Whipping her head behind her, Merida saw another horse. She loaded another arrow, quickly letting it fly through the horse. She didn't have time to react when a third one appeared from behind the second. It's hooves dug into her stomach, pushing her back hard onto the grassy floor.

The bow fell from her hands, landing just beyond her reach. Her breath hitched as fear coursed through her body. A scream threatened to tear from her lips, but Merida forced herself to bite it down. The horse leaned in closer towards her.

With a flash, the Nightmare collapsed just as a blue blast of ice hit it hard in the chest. Her expression loosening, Merida noticed that the black sand fell harmlessly onto her sides. Slowly, she sat up. Behind her stood a boy with snow white hair. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, that was close. You okay there, girly?"

Getting up, Merida grabbed her bow. Quickly loading it, she aimed it towards the strange boy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" cried Jack, pulling his hands up in defense. "Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you." Merida allowed her guard to drop slightly. "Who are you?" she demanded. A large whinny interrupted the conversation between the two. Looking up at the sky, Merida and Jack saw a dark cloud looming over them.

"What are those things?" Merida choked, adjusting the target of her arrows.

"Nightmares," Jack answered nonchalantly. "Stay calm. They can probably smell fear."

"You took down one of them just now, do something about all of those!" Merida exclaimed. Jack leaned on his staff lazily. "Calm down. My sidekick can take care of it."

As if on cue, a loud roar came from the skies. Behind a cloud, a dark figure appeared. As soon as Jack caught sight of his green tunic, he smirked. "You're nearly late."

Hiccup patted Toothless' head. "Looks like it's Nightmares for breakfast. Fire away, bud." Opening his mouth, a blast of flames escaped Toothless' jaws, hitting several Nightmares head on. Merida watched in awe and wonder as the skies exploded into bright spheres of fire. She brought down her bow. "Now what is _that_?"

"That's my sidekick riding on a dragon," replied Jack. "Just him alone can take on that batch of Nightmares." When the skies became clear, Toothless did a loop before heading towards the two teenagers on the ground. Landing on the green grass, Hiccup slid off the dragon's saddle. "Jack, next time tell me when you're going to do help a stranger and leave me with a pile of Nightmares." Hiccup turned to look at Merida, who was giving the two boys a lost look. "Really, who are you people?"

"The name's Jack Frost," said Jack. "Guardian, winter spirit. And this is my subordinate, Hiccup."

"Yep, that's me." Hiccup paused for a moment. "Hey!" he snapped. "Who are you calling 'subordinate'?"

Jack sighed. "Alright, teammate. And that's his dragon, Toothless." Jack pointed to the black dragon playing around in the grass. Merida nodded in understanding. "Merida. Princess, first born of clan DunBroch."

"Which brings me to my next question," Hiccup began, leaning towards Jack. "Where are we?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the winter spirit replied. "We've crossed worlds." Behind the three teenagers, loud rustling was heard and Elinor suddenly stumbled out of the bushes. Toothless immediately leaped to his feet, ready to pounce and Jack poised his staff.

"Merida!" called Elinor, running up to her daughter. "I heard some strange noises. I was so worried about you." The Queen's gaze landed on Toothless, making her scream. "What is that creature?"

Toothless got ready to attack when Hiccup suddenly ran up in front of him, holding out his hands. "Whoa! Easy there, bud. She's not a threat." Calming down, Toothless' eyes enlarged, perking up his ears. Heaving a sigh of relief, Hiccup turned to the Queen. "Sorry about that, my dragon's a little protective."

Merida cleared her throat. "This is my mother, Queen Elinor." Hiccup winced slightly. "We're not going to get punished because Toothless nearly pounced on her, right?"

Elinor leaned in towards her daughter. "Who are they?" she whispered.

"The white haired one's Jack Frost. The other one's Hiccup. They saved me," Merida explained.

"Oh, well that clears things up." Elinor stepped forward to the two boys. "As a reward for helping my daughter, why don't we all have a feast at the castle?"

"That sounds great!" Jack chimed excitedly, earning him a nudge on the shoulder from Hiccup. "With all due respect ma'am, I think it would be better if we didn't-" In the middle of his sentence, Hiccup's stomach grumbled, causing the young heir to blush. Merida chuckled as Jack shot Hiccup an amused look. Berk's young heir sighed. "We'll accept your invitation."

Laughing slightly, Elinor started to walk forward. "Follow us this way, please. In the meantime, why don't you tell us where you boys are from."

"Well," Jack began. "it has a bit of a history to it."

"It's a long walk to the castle," Merida added into the conversation. "I'm sure it'll be a good way to kill time. Besides, I would like to her another story that doesn't involve bears or princes."

And so, Jack and Hiccup told Merida and Elinor their tale so far. Toothless trotted behind them, occasionally carrying the queen and princess to make their journey more comfortable. For the most part, Elinor remained silent. However, her expression turned dark as soon as Jack retold the part relating to Grimbeard the Ghastly.

"Mum," Merida asked softly. "Are you alright?"

Elinor snapped out of her daze. "Oh, I'm fine, dear." The queen cleared her throat. "So, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. That's a rather interesting name."

"Even though it fits the description perfectly," Merida mumbled in addition. She and Jack giggled quietly. Hiccup let out a sheepish smile. "I don't really know the history behind it. Though it is viking tradition to name the runt of the litter a hiccup."

"Which makes even more sense," added Jack. Hiccup hid his face from the winter spirit for a moment. Toothless purred gently from behind. "It's okay, bud." The group continued to walk in silence for a moment. Soon, the silhouette of the castle could be seen in the distance, catching the attention of the boys.

"Oh, that's it!" Merida suddenly said, catching her mother's attention. "What is it, Merida?"

"I want to join Jack and Hiccup!" she answered, an excited gleam in her eye. Elinor was slightly at a lost for words. "I don't know about that dear. It seems very dangerous and you have duties you need to uphold."

"But what if my duty is to join them? Come on, Mum! It'll be fine. I'll just go on a few adventures and I'll come back home." Merida turned to Hiccup and Jack, both giving her welcoming looks. Elinor sighed. "Alright. I'll talk to your father about it." Upon hearing her mother's answer, Merida cheered. Hiccup's gaze suddenly found interest in grass.

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" asked Jack.

"If the Nightmares are here, and they didn't come from the compass..." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. "Then Pitch must have his own way of crossing the worlds."

–––––––––––––––––––

In the Barbaric Archipelago, quite a distance away from the Isle of Berk, Alvin the Treacherous stood at the edge of a cliff. The wind blew against him. The sun had just made it's way below the horizon and the shadows covered his island. Appearing from the darkness was a man dressed in black with piercing eyes.

"Ah, you must be Pitch Black, my ancestor's cohort," said Alvin. A wicked grin curled up Pitch's face. "I take it you are the descendant of one of my old teammates."

"Yes," answered Alvin. "Thanks to you, Stoick's little embarrassment, Hiccup, has left with your arch nemesis. With Hiccup gone, taking Berk will be easy pickings." Alvin stopped for a moment. "What I don't understand is why would you want that small little boy?"

"You'll see, Alvin," replied Pitch. "That boy has more darkness in him than he realizes. And I know, he will make one hell of a powerful companion."

––––––––––––––––––––––

Well, if Pitch doesn't have his own way to cross the worlds then he won't be much of an opponent. Alvin, Hiccup's arch enemy makes his appearance and what are the two of them up to? Secrets will be revealed in the next chapter: Grimbeard's Memoirs.


	7. Grimbeard's Memoirs

Alright, this is more of an informative chapter since some stuff with Grimbeard is revealed. Merida joins and the gang heads off once more.

**Chapter Six: Grimbeard's Memoirs**

"Is this really food?" Jack poked the disgusting looking food on his plate with his finger, quickly wiping it on his shirt. Hiccup laughed, biting on the roast chicken. "You've never eaten haggis?"

"No," Jack admitted. "I'd rather use this to poison Pitch." Merida laughed from on the other end of the corner. Her brothers quarreled in the corner. Elinor ate on one end while Fergus was on the other. He took a great big bite out of his chicken before turning to Jack and Hiccup. "You boys haven't heard the story about how I've slain the demon bear Mor'du yet, have you?"

"Actually, yes," replied Hiccup. "Merida beat you to, it." Fergus coughed before giving his daughter an annoyed look. Merida had an innocent expression on her face. "What? Don't worry, Dad, I told them exactly how you tell us every single day."

Fergus leaned back on his chair, rather satisfied. "Alright," he said. "So, Jack is the one with the magic stick ("Staff..." Jack muttered) and Hiccup is the small one with the dragon."

"Yeah, that's us," said Hiccup, looking down at Toothless who was eating a whole barrel of fish beside him. Elinor looked at Fergus from across the table. "Fergus, his name _is _Hiccup." The King shot his wife a confused look. Elinor sighed. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third? The Memoirs?"

At this, Fergus' eyes lit up with realization. "Oh, yes! The memoirs." Clearing his throat, Fergus got up from his seat. Hiccup and Jack exchanged curious look. "Follow us, you two," ordered Elinor, standing up as well. "You too, Merida." Confused, Merida got up from her chair along with the boys and followed her mother and father down to a corner of the castle, Toothless trailing behind them. Merida looked around her. "Isn't this the only room in the castle that you never allowed me to enter?"

"Yes, it is," Elinor replied. "Mostly because it wasn't for you." Saying this, she turned to Hiccup. "It's for you."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "For me?" he repeated. Elinor nodded. "A few hundred years ago, man known as Grimbeard the Ghastly told the King and Queen of this castle that generations later, a scrawny looking boy with the name of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third would arrive at the castle. And when he did, we were supposed to show him what he left in our care."

"Which was?" Jack questioned, interested. Fergus shook his head. "Elinor won't ever let me look inside."

"Because it was meant for Hiccup," said the queen. Elinor took out a golden key and placed it into the keyhole. With a single turn, the lock gave way the door opened. Dust flew into the air, causing everyone to cough. Fresh cold air poured into the old room, but the small of dampness was still present.

Following Elinor's expression, everyone stepped inside. Merida grabbed a torch from the side of the corridor and lit one of the torches in the room, revealing a wooden empty room with nothing but a chest. "That's it?" groaned Jack. "And I thought it was going to be something cool."

Hiccup ran his fingers across the lid of the chest. Wiping the lid, Hiccup noticed that dust hid the Berk Crest. His eyes ran down towards the lock. Merida noticed it as well. "Doesn't look like a key can fit that sort of hole."

Elinor shook her head. "Grimbeard said that this lock was made especially for his heir, and only he would have the key to open it." Looking at the lock for a few moments, Hiccup realized it was rather round. No key would be just round. And the size was rather familiar. Something in his brain clicked.

"Toothless," he called. "Come here, bud." The Night Fury gently pushed the crowd aside, stepping into the room. A clicking noise was heard when Hiccup took out the connecting rod of Toothless' tail. Placing the curved end into the keyhole, he almost gasped when it was a perfect fit. Gulping, Hiccup turned the lock. With a creak, the lid opened.

As Hiccup turned to put the connecting rod back, Jack and Merida peered into the chest. All there was in it was a leather book and an old sheath wrapped in an even older cloth. Jack took out the book and flipped the pages. On it were symbols that neither he or Merida recognized. "What is this?" the winter spirit asked. "It's all gibberish."

Merida took a quick look. "Agreed," she said very flatly before handing the book over to Hiccup. "No, it's not gibberish," he said. "It's Old Norse. I can read it."

"Read?" repeated Jack, groaning. "You go ahead and do that Hiccup. I'd rather take a tour of the castle."

"Very well," replied Elinor. "We'll show you too your rooms, Jack. Just be sure to tell Hiccup where it is, later." Glancing back at Berk's heir, Jack noticed that Hiccup was already greatly focused, his eyes running across each page. Wanting to leave his friend in peace, Jack stepped out of the room.

––––––––––––––––––––

Yawning, Merida rested her head on the side of the stone corridor leading into the wooden room. In the corner, she could still see Hiccup absorbed in the book. Jack came up from behind her. "Wow, Hiccup," he commented. "You're still up reading that thing? It's way past midnight."

Rubbing his exhausted eyes, Hiccup turned to look at his friends. "Oh, sorry. I just finished." Closing the book, Hiccup got up and stretched. Toothless had curled up beside him, already sleeping. Hearing footsteps, the dragon's ears perked up. Seeing Hiccup leave the room, he did so too.

"This way," said Merida. "Your bed's been ready for hours." As the three, plus Toothless, walked along the hallways, Hiccup stayed silent. Jack sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," replied Hiccup. "It's just something I've read."

"Well don't keep it to yourself," Merida urged. "Tell us." Hiccup exhaled loudly before beginning his explanation.

"Grimbeard the Ghastly was the King of the Wilderwest. He ruled the Barbaric Archipelago, the one I live in. He head three sons. The eldest, Thugheart became a traitor due to his greed. It was because of him Grimbeard killed his youngest son, who bore the same name as I did."

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second?" asked Jack. Hiccup nodded when the winter spirit gestured for him to continue as Merida remained silent. "Grimbeard cursed his power and to be sure no one would ever obtain it again after him, abdicated the throne. It was then that he and his second son moved to Berk. Wishing to erase what he had done, Grimbeard became the chief of Berk, under the name Hamish the First. His son, Chucklehead, became Hamish the Second. And their descendants continued to rule over Berk since."

"Aha!" exclaimed Jack. "So I _was_ right. You _are_ the heir to Grimbeard the Ghastly."

"Which means..." Merida began, realizing something. "You're going to become King of the Wilderwest!"

"That's not all," interjected Hiccup. "In Grimbeard's Memoirs, it was revealed that he had fought Pitch who had allied himself with Thugheart, who's descendants led the Outcasts. That means, my arch nemesis is also an heir."

"Alvin?" Jack clarified.

"Yeah, that's him," Hiccup muttered. Merida's eyes were wide from excitement. "I'm going to beg my mom to join you now," she said, stopping in front of a door. She opened it, revealing a room with a comfortable looking bed. "For now, Hiccup, just get some rest."

Hiccup looked at the mattress for a moment. "I am so used to sleeping on wood. This is going to be a long night, isn't it?"

–––––––––––––––––

Throwing the saddle over Toothless' back, Hiccup secured it into place. The morning sun shone brightly. Jack lands beside Hiccup, twirling his staff in his hands. "So, you're ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep," said Hiccup. "All we need to do now is wait for Merida." Soon, the red haired princess came into sight. Her bow was slung over her back, along with a whole batch of quivers. "Alright. Let's go."

"I can't believe your mom actually approved," said Jack. Merida sighed sheepishly. "Dad helped convince her." From across the field, Elinor and Fergus were walking towards the teenagers with Hamish, Hubert and Harris merrily running beside them. Hiccup patted Toothless' saddle. Merida looked at him, confused. "Aren't we going to ride him?"

"We won't pop up in the sky in the next world if we weren't already in it. Besides, last time was one hectic crash landing," he answered.

"And before that, Hiccup nearly smashed into me," Jack added. "So this time, we're going to play it safe and stay on the ground."

Elinor walked up to Merida, holding out her arms. The mother and daughter had an embrace for a moment. Fergus patted Merida several times before turning to Hiccup. In his hands, he held the scabbard from the chest. "Are you leaving without this?"

"Sorry," said Hiccup. "I took the journal and was absorbed in it. The scabbard completely slipped my mind." Taking it from Fergus, Hiccup finally took into account of the leather scabbard. It was draped in black, as if signifying the color of the Night Fury. It's handle dark gray and it's grip inky emerald green.

Wrapping his fingers around the grip, Hiccup unsheathed the sword, revealing a beautiful silver blade. "Wow," Jack breathed. Hiccup looked at the sword in awe for a moment. He played with it's weight a little. "I have no idea how to use this," he began, "but it feels like it was made for me."

Holding it up and down, Hiccup realized it was actually rather light. Turning the blade on it's side, Hiccup noticed that there was something embroidered in it. It was a word written in Old Norse. "Endeavour," Hiccup read.

"Grimbeard sure has good naming sense," Jack commented. "Now let's get going."

Sheathing the blade, Hiccup strapped the scabbard onto his belt. "Alright, Jack. Get that Compass working." Bringing out the Core Compass, Jack imagined what would the forth world would look like. And what adventures it would hold. Merida turned to look at her family once more before she was swallowed by a golden light.

–––––––––––

Rapunzel and Eugene make their debut in the next chapter: The Tower.

The first installment is coming to a close, so I've already begun planning the second one.


	8. The Tower

Sorry it took so long! I got lazy.

Sorry for the rather short chapter. But it had all the content I planned for it to have already.

It's summer now, so I might be uploading at strange rates. Once a week, twice a day, it's going to be weird. Depends on my mood and boredom. Anyway, enjoy chapter 7!

**Chapter Seven: The Tower**

Rapunzel held onto Eugene as they galloped through the forest. The footsteps of the royal horse echoed in the quiet atmosphere. "Thanks a lot, Eugene," said Rapunzel. "Bringing me all the way out here."

"Nah, it's nothing. Besides, it's about time we headed back to the place where we first met. And your home for eighteen years. A dinky little tower in the middle of nowhere and when you first stepped out, you ran into a whole world of adventure."

"And thugs and mimes," Rapunzel reminded him playfully. Maximus, the horse, snorted. "Alright, Max. You were there too."

"Don't forget the frog," said Eugene. On cue, a small green chameleon appeared on Rapunzel's shoulders. The princess had a slightly annoyed expression adorning her face. "Stop calling Pascal a frog, Eugene. You know he doesn't really like that."

Max rode through the trees, leaping over fallen trunks. Eventually, they stopped at a large rock, one of it's sides completely covered a curtain of plants so thick you couldn't see the stone behind it. "This is it," said Eugene. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Rapunzel answered. Snapping Max's reins, the horse ran forward, straight through the leaves. They appeared in a peaceful clearing, a large tall tower sitting in the distance.

"There it is," Rapunzel breathed. "What used to be my home for eighteen years."

"It's good to be here for old time's sake," said Eugene as Max headed towards the tower. Reaching's it's base, Eugene hauled himself over the saddle. Looking up, the former thief whistled. "So, how are we going to get up there?"

"The same way we got down last time?" Rapunzel gestured to a door at the base of the tower. Upon opening it, they see a large flight of stairs spiraling upwards towards the top of the tower. Eugene turns to Maximus. "Alright, Max. Stay here and I'll give you apples," he said. Obediently, the horse sat down. Grinning, Eugene followed Rapunzel up the stairs.

Meanwhile...

"Hiccup, look out!" Merida gritted her teeth as she let loose another arrow, striking a nightmare hard. Hiccup lurched Toothless to the left, the dragon trapping another Nightmare in it's jaws. The Night Fury landed, slashing out it's tail to prevent any monsters from coming near his rider. Panting, Hiccup slid off the dragon. "No matter where we go, there's no end to them!"

"I swear," Jack began, freezing a Nightmare behind him, "if we find the source of Pitch's world crossing, I am destroying it before I see another one of these stupid Nightmares."

"Good to hear I'm not the only one getting sick of these things," muttered Hiccup. His left hand instinctively went to the grip of his sword. "Should I draw it?"

"That's your choice," Merida answered. "Do you even know how to use it?"

"No," Hiccup admitted.

"Then give it to me." Upon firing one more arrow, Merida grabbed Hiccup's scabbard and pulled out the blade. Light reflected off Endeavour as Merida charged forward. Swinging her arm, she sliced a Nightmare in half.

"Wow," Jack breathed, landing beside Hiccup. Berk's young heir nodded. "You said it." However, it wasn't long before Merida became surrounded. Jack shot forward, attacking the front row of Nightmares. He and Merida ran back towards Hiccup, both breathing heavily. "We can't keep this up much longer," Merida panted as she handed the sword back to Hiccup.

"Then get on Toothless," said Hiccup urgently. "We'll make a run for it." Offering his hand, Merida allowed Hiccup to pull her onto Toothless' saddle. The dragon leaped for the sky, Jack following close behind. "Can I get a ride?"

"You can fly," said Hiccup, "don't make Toothless carry extra weight. It'll slow us down."

"You're no fun, Hiccup," Jack grumbled. Hiccup ignored him as he opened Toothless' tail fin, the Night Fury earning a sudden burst of speed. Chuckling slightly, Jack forced himself to catch up. Peering over his shoulder, he noticed that the Nightmares weren't far behind. "Is it just me, or are those Nightmares getting stronger?"

A flurry of black shot past Hiccup. A Nightmare struck him, right on his old wound. His arm jerked, pulling Toothless with it. Hiccup gritted his teeth as he pulled his dragon back to a steady altitude. Merida pulled out an arrow. She loaded her bow before firing it at the same Nightmare that attacked Hiccup. "It's definitely not just you."

"We need to take cover," Hiccup suggested. Jack looked ahead. In the distance, he managed to make out a tall tower. "Over there!" he called. "We should be able to hide in there." With a large push, Jack used the wind to propel him quickly forward. Hiccup squinted, barely being able to make out a closed window in the tower. "Jack, there's no way Toothless can fit!"

"Then leave him outside! He'll be fine," the winter spirit called from far away.

"What?" Hiccup exclaimed. "I can't do that!" However, Jack didn't hear him. He was too far ahead.

"It's going to be alright, Hiccup," Merida reassured him. "Toothless will be fine. He's a strong dragon." Hiccup looked at Merida for a moment before once again focusing on the tower. It was much closer now. They'll hit in a matter of seconds. Hiccup pulled on Toothless' saddle, slowing them down as Jack quickly pulled the door open.

The winter spirit was the first one in the tower. Toothless flapped his wings, staying airborne beside the window sill. Merida hopped off the saddle and into the tower, Jack swiftly catching her. "I can do it myself, Jack," she complained.

Hiccup leaped into the window sill. He turned to face his dragon. "Stay down, bud. ANd stay hidden. I'll be down soon." Nodding his head, Toothless dived for the ground. Seeing his dragon land safely, Hiccup heaved a sigh of relief as he slid into the tower, closing the windows. Jack and Merida fell onto the ground. "We'll be safe here for a moment."

_Clang!_

Jack and Merida suddenly turned around, only to see Hiccup fall unconscious onto the floor. Behind him was a brown haired girl in a purple dress. In her hand, she held a frying pan. "Hey!" Jack yelled. "What did you do to him?"

"Jack, behind you!" Merida shouted, loading her bow. Jack turned. On instinct, he sidestepped, a second frying pan striking where he just stood. "What the-"

Merida moved towards the girl, ready to fire. The girl slowly put her pan down. "Look, I don't know who you are or how you got up here, but this used to be my home. And I would appreciate it if you would leave us in peace." Merida brought down her bow. "Who are you?"

"Rapunzel," said the girl.

A shadow moved in the corner of Jack's eye. Sticking his staff onto the ground, Jack spun himself on it. Upon kicking something, he heard a man grunt and fall forward into visible light.

"Don't hurt him!" Rapunzel cried. Jack paused just as he was about to hit the man with his staff. "You were the one who knocked out my comrade with a frying pan." To make himself clear, Jack pointed the tip of his staff torwards Hiccup lying on the ground.

"Sorry," Rapunzel apologized. "We thought you were the threat."

"And they still could be," the man added. Rapunzel shot him an annoyed look. "Eugene, they're teenagers."

"Looks can be deceiving," Eugene quickly added. Rapunzel sighed before turning to Merida. "What are you doing here?"

"We were being chased by Nightmares," she said.

"Nightmares?" Eugene repeated, confused.

"It's a long story," Jack added. "By the way, I'm Jack. The red haired lassie's Merida, and Mr. Knocked-out over there is Hiccup."

"Hiccup? That's an interesting name," Rapunzel commented. Reaching down, she pulled Hiccup into a sitting position. Smirking, Jack poked Hiccup a few times with his staff. Merida laughed when the boy didn't move at all. "How long until he wakes up?"

"In a while," said Eugene. "Unless you want a chameleon to stick his tongue in the guy's ear."

Merida leaned in towards Jack. "You think Hiccup's going to kill us if we let them do that?" Merida's playful expression quickly disappeared when Jack dropped his staff. The sound of wood crashing onto the floor echoed in the tower.

"Jack!" Merida cried. Eugene quickly shot forward, catching Jack as he fell. Jack winced as Eugene turned him upright. Merida's eyes fell on Jack's abdomen. Rapunzel gasped in horror upon seeing blood seep through Jack's sweatshirt.

"He's wounded!" Eugene shouted.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Merida yelled in frustration. Rapunzel quickly ran off, looking around the shelves for bandages or anything that might be of use. Merida's expression darkened. "But Jack's a spirit. He can't die, right?"

Eugene shook his head solemnly. "From how things are looking, I won't be so sure about that."

––––––––––––––––––

Below the town of Burgess, Pitch Black leaned on what of his walls, half of his face covered and hidden by shadows. He glared at a golden globe in front of him, filled with glimmering lights. "Some day," he growled. "Some day, every single one of them will go out." Pitch eyed a small light located in the country of America on the globe. The last light that refused to disappear like all the others. "Starting with that one."

Coming in from above, one of his Nightmares materialized. Circling around Pitch, the Nightmare seemed to have communicated with it's Master. "I see," purred Pitch. "Jack only needs one more member to complete his little team. It's nice to hear Grimbeard's little heir as one of them." A sinister smile curled up his lips. "I wonder if North figured out that if I can copy his globe, I can copy more of his little trinkets."

Pitch brought out a dark circular device eerily similar to the Core Compass. "Not that I had to duplicate this. I've had this in my care for centuries." Gently, the device started to glow. A soft cackle echoed in the room. "I think I'll go pay Jack and his friends a little visit."

–––––––––––––

I ended up knocking out two characters...oh well. Honestly, I don't know if any of the Guardians can bleed. But I decided to do it anyway, since it makes Jack seem more human. And I think they can be killed, seeing how Sandy "died" in the film. Anyway, see how things go in the next chapter: "Fellowship".


	9. Fellowship

Another one of the more informative chapters. The important bit actually begins after Jack wakes up.

**Chapter Eight: Fellowship**

Rubbing the back of his head, Hiccup looked at Jack from above. He could've sworn that frying pan moved his brain. But judging from the fact that he could still think properly, he assumed that was fine. Hiccup sighed. "How's he coming?"

Rapunzel sat beside the winter spirit. Hiccup and Merida had watched her gracious hands work over Jack's wounds. A bandage was now carefully wrapped around it, some crossing over to his shoulder. His sweatshirt hung on a nearby chair. Rapunzel leaned backwards. Exhausted, she rested her weight on her hands. "I managed to stop the bleeding," she said. "Hopefully it won't get infected. I also sent Eugene out to get some herbs and food. He took Max, so we won't be going anywhere on the ground for a while."

"We're staying here overnight?" Merida asked. Rapunzel gave her a curious look, a smile adorning her face. "Why not? We're friends now, right? We should take care of each other. And it doesn't look like you'll be able to travel any more for some time with Jack in that state."

"Still," Hiccup said, his hand moving to his head again. "You do not randomly smack people with a frying pan."

"Sorry," Rapunzel said again, looking apologetic. "I guess it was a force of habit." Looking on Rapunzel's shoulder, Hiccup noticed a small green creature. "What's that?"

Following Hiccup's gaze, Rapunzel realized that Hiccup was referring to her pet. "Oh this? This is my chameleon, Pascal." Pascal stuck a small tongue out at Hiccup. Merida laughed. "He looks kind of cute."

Rapunzel giggled slightly in return. "But I think Hiccup's pet is also cute." Turning around, Rapunzel turned to a sleeping Toothless curled up in the corner of the tower. After Hiccup had woken up, and freaking out about Jack's wound, was looking around for a way to get Toothless up the tower. Rapunzel showed them a staircase that led up from the bottom, so using that, Toothless climbed up and enthusiastically pinned down his rider in joy. It was certainly a breather from Jack's critical situation.

"So, these Nightmares," Rapunzel began, getting into a cross-legged sitting position. "Why don't you tell me a little more about your story?"

Glancing at Jack, Hiccup figured he didn't have a point. "Since Jack's out, I guess I'll explain his part for you." Merida passed him an extra chair and both of them sat down while Rapunzel grabbed a stool. The three faced each other. Rapunzel had her intently listening face on.

Hiccup took a deep breath in. "In Jack's world, he's a Guardian. He protects the children of their world. But he can only be seen by other spirits and Guardians and people who truly believe in his existence. I think that visibility rule is lifted off in the rest of the Worlds."

"Worlds?" Rapunzel asked.

"Well, counting Jack's," Merida began, "there are Four Worlds. Normally, they wouldn't interact. But our team, the Defenders of Realms are the exception. That is, unless you also count Pitch who's crossing the worlds as well."

"Oh, and Pitch is Jack's arch nemesis," Hiccup quickly added. "He and the Guardians defeated him twice, but he keeps coming back. So that's also our mission: to bring down Pitch. One of his abilities is to create these dark horse things called Nightmares that are the embodiment of fear and darkness itself."

"And those were the things that made you hide in this tower?" Rapunzel clarified. Merida nodded. "They keep getting stronger. We can't keep up with them anymore."

Rapunzel shifted in her seat. "Since you're here, you're looking for your final Defender, right?"

Hiccup nodded. "Something like that, more or less. I think Jack's going to want to take either you or Eugene. I'm not sure, but he keeps accepting the first people he ran into in each of the worlds."

"So, Hiccup," said Merida, inquiring in. "You were the first person Jack met from your world?"

"By far, yes," Hiccup muttered. "I nearly crashed into him on Toothless since he just appeared out of nowhere. After that, he saved Merida from some Nightmares and she insisted on joining."

By now, Rapunzel's eyes were focused elsewhere. Following her gaze, Hiccup realized that she was looking at him. Or specifically... "Oh, my foot?"

"Sorry," Rapunzel quickly said, looking away. "I was just a little curious."

"Yeah, Hiccup," Merida added. "You never told us how you lost your left foot." Hiccup chuckled nervously. "So you want to hear that story?" Rapunzel rested her chin on her hands, ready to listen to another story as she crossed her legs.

"Oh boy," mumbled Hiccup, "where do I start?" He took inhaled deeply. "My island, Berk, used to be at war with dragons. We've been fighting for three hundred years. And then I came along: the first viking that couldn't kill a dragon. I didn't have a body fit for throwing axes or lifting hammers, so I had to create tools for myself. Unfortunately, I kept destroying the village so my father forbade me from helping out in battles.

"During one of the attacks, I shot a Night Fury down with my latest invention. But when I finally caught up to it, I just couldn't kill it. So instead, I set it free."

"And that Night Fury was Toothless?" asked Merida.

"Yep," Hiccup replied. "I soon found out that from my shot, I damaged Toothless' left tail fin so he couldn't fly anymore. After earning his trust, I created a prosthetic for him and our friendship began from there.

"Though my father was obsessed with destroying the home of the dragons. Toothless took me and my friend, Astrid, to it once. There was this dragon the size of a mountain living inside it and forcing the other dragons to raid humans for food. When Toothless saved me in front of the village from a rogue dragon, I spilled the beans to my father, who used Toothless to locate Dragon Island. My friends and I came to help, but the Red Death, that giant dragon, already appeared. So, Toothless and I engaged it in combat, defeated it, but with a price." To make his point, Hiccup moved his metal foot slightly.

The tower fell silent. "Well, it seems like your story had much more thrill than mine," said Merida. Hiccup turned to face her, curiously. "Then go ahead and tell us yours."

Merida sighed. "My mother used to control every minute of my life. All I did was turn her into a bear and fight of another century old Demon Bear and get her turned back to normal. There wasn't anything much."

Rapunzel laughed. "It seems like all of you already had your share of adventures." Her expression darkened for a moment as Rapunzel glanced at Jack's wound. "Rapunzel?" whispered Merida. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Rapunzel replied, turning back to face her friends. "I was just sort of thinking if I still had-" Her voice trailed off. "Never mind."

"What is it?" Hiccup asked, now becoming incredibly curious.

"I guess you could call it my story, like how you lost your foot or how Merida put her family back together," said Rapunzel. "But it's nothing compared to what you guys already had."

"Just tell us," Hiccup urged. "If we're going to be a team we shouldn't keep secrets, right?"

"Well," Rapunzel began nervously. "I used to have magic hair that glows when I sing. It had the power to heal wounds and restore youth. For that reason, I was taken from my parents when I was a baby by a woman named Gothel. I was locked up in this tower for eighteen years until Eugene came along. We went on a little adventure together and I got to saw the outside world for the first time. But Gothel kept hunting us. In the end we defeated we, but I my hair lost it's magical properties." At this point, Rapunzel exhaled slowly. "I just thought that if I still had that power, I could heal Jack much faster."

"But you did great treating him," protested Merida. "You don't need magic for things like this." Rapunzel smiled in return. "Thanks, Merida."

In the distant corner, a groaning sound was heard. Rapunzel, Hiccup and Merida stumbled out of their seats and scrambled hurriedly to Jack. The boy's eyes were squeezed tightly. Slowly, his eyelids popped open. Whoops and cheers echoed throughout the tower as Jack carefully pulled himself up to an upright position. He felt his stomach sting.

"Jack, you're up!" Merida exclaimed excitedly. The winter spirit forced himself to smile. "It seems that Hiccup got up before I did, though."

"Of course I did," Hiccup replied playfully. "I was only hit by a frying pan, after all."

A small laugh escaped Jack's lips. "So, how long as I out?"

"About an hour," answered Merida. "Rapunzel healed you up, though." Jack looked at Rapunzel for a moment. Judging from the interested expression on Jack's face, Hiccup figured what it meant. "If you want her to join the team, just say so."

"Hey, I need some consideration too, you know," Rapunzel snapped comically, earning laughter from her friends. Rapunzel looked around for a moment. She actually had friends. And the type that wouldn't address her as "princess" or "your highness". It was a good feeling. If she could, she would travel with them. But Eugene was her husband and she was a princess of a whole kingdom. She couldn't possibly leave all of them behind suddenly.

Jack's eyes widened, his expression turning into panic. The laughter died down.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Rapunzel asked, worried. Jack's expression stayed emotionless. "This feeling..." he breathed. Despite his wound, the spirit stood up, catching all of his friends by surprise. Slowly, Jack moved towards the window.

"Jack!" Merida yelled, attempting to keep him in the tower. "You need rest. You're wounded." Gently, Jack pushed Merida away. He lifted himself onto the windowsill and leaped right off it. Hiccup called for Toothless and the dragon immediately woke. "Get on," Hiccup said urgently, locking his metal foot into place. Merida hopped on and Rapunzel followed, the three of them barely fitting on Toothless' saddle.

"Is this too heavy, bud?" Hiccup asked his dragon. With a snort, Toothless jumped. Shooting out of the tower, Hiccup directed Toothless downwards onto the grassy floor below where Jack stood. Upon landing, Hiccup hopped off the saddle, Merida and Rapunzel right behind him. "Jack!" Hiccup shouted, catching up to the Guardian. "What is going on?"

Jack swallowed hard. Following his gaze, Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel realized it was directed at a large cloud of darkness ominously looming over them. Above the gray swirling clouds was the silhouette of a shadowy figure.

Jack bit his lip. "That sensation," he growled. "I knew it was him."

"Who, is that?" Rapunzel asked, fear in her voice. Merida stumbled backwards slightly. Toothless moved to Hiccup's side, and the boy was ready to saddle up any second.

"Pitch!" Jack roared furiously into the sky, ignoring the pain that struck him with every single movement. The name caught his friends off guard.

"_That's _Pitch Black?" Merida breathed. Above them, Pitch grinned menacingly. "Long time no see, Jack."

–––––––––––––––

And Pitch drops by. Two more chapters to the end. This is actually a three-part fan fiction, so be sure to look out for more!

Next chapter: First Encounter


	10. First Encounter

An extra long chapter for the climax!

I'm heading out of town this weekend for a while, so I'm hoping to get the last chapter up by friday. Then when I get back, I can start the second installment!

**Chapter Nine: First Encounter**

Jack pushed the majority of his body's weight onto his staff. His hands gripped it tightly. Even then, it took a large amount of his strength to just stand upright. Rapunzel quickly rushed over to him. Taking one of Jack's arms, Rapunzel pulled it over her shoulder. Panting heavily, Jack tried to support his body onto his legs. The wound on his stomach stung each time he moved. "Sorry to trouble you, Rapunzel."

"It's okay," Rapunzel replied. "Just take it easy."

Looking down on the teenagers, Pitch grinned. "Just my Nightmares were already able to inflict that much damage on you, Jack?" he asked. Merida detected a strong hint of smugness in Pitch's voice. She and Hiccup exchanged worried glances. "Just the Nightmares?" Merida murmured. Hiccup nodded slowly. "That means Pitch is much more powerful than that."

"But that's-" Merida's voice trailed off. "How could we possibly beat him?" Her heart pounded hard against her chest. Panic was beginning to grow. Despair. Fear. Turning to look at Hiccup, Merida realized that his stance wasn't faltering at all. Instead, he looked very active, as if his body could spring into action any moment. Toothless was in the same state of mind.

Merida took a deep breath in. If Hiccup could do it, she could too. She had to have courage. She had to be brave.

Jack suddenly winced. His hand instinctively moving to his injury. Above them, Pitch guffawed loudly. Jack shot his nemesis a threatening glare. Pitch smiled right back. "You're wondering aren't you, Jack?" he purred. "You're wondering why can't you defeat my Nightmares. Why they are getting stronger. Well, I'll tell you a little secret." A chuckle escaped Pitch's lips. "When I fought you and the Guardians, I was only using the power I gathered from our world."

At this, the eyes of the Defenders widened. Jack stayed silent in shock. His brain started to have trouble processing the information, both from surprise and blood loss.

"So you're saying," Hiccup suddenly yelled, catching everyone's attention. "that you can draw your power, fear and darkness, from all of the worlds. You faked your loss against Jack and the Guardians because you were playing for time. In those extra weeks you managed to gather up more strength, becoming even more powerful. And you're calling on that stored up energy to use against us now, am I right?"

Pitch cocked his head to one side. "That's right. I didn't even have to explain it to you. I wouldn't expect anything less from old Grimbeard's heir. 'Hiccup', is it?" He paused for a moment. "Initially, I was going to unleash my full strength in that battle. But it seems that after you ended the war between humans and dragons in your world, a significant amount of fear disappeared and I lost some of my power. I had to buy more time. Though, I didn't regret attacking the Guardians. I got to see what Jack was really capable of."

Pitch leaped off his cloud of Nightmares, landing in the center of the clearing in front of the teenagers. Jack took one step forward before nearly buckling onto his knees. Rapunzel supported him. Merida loaded her bow and aimed it at Pitch. Hiccup swung his leg over Toothless' back. His hands gripped the saddle tightly.

"Why don't I show you..." said Pitch slowly, the tension building by the second. His voice filled with a sinister tone. A cloud of black dust gathered at his feet. "...what I am truly capable of." Throwing up his hands, the darkness enveloped him. Growling Merida allowed her arrow to fly straight towards the dark cloud. Just as it pierced through, the clouds diffused. Pitch had disappeared. Merida quickly prepared another shot. "Where did he go?" Peering behind her shoulder, Merida noticed that Hiccup was no longer behind her.

Rapunzel looked around frantically for any sign of movement. Suddenly, Pitch materialized in front of them. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, Pitch violently brushed her aside. Rapunzel's body skidded across the grass. Jack dropped onto the ground, doubling over in pain at the abrupt movement. Rapunzel dug her feet into the ground, eventually coming to a spot. Her dress now had patches of dirt all over it. Her skin slightly scratched and bruised. "Jack!" she called.

Pitch wrapped his hand around Jack's neck, lifting him up into the air. A cough escaped from Jack's lips. The winter spirit started to kick out his legs. He couldn't breathe. It was like back then. When he saved his younger sister and fell into the freezing lake. His lungs started to burn for air. Pitch tightened his grip.

"Stay away from him!" Merida roared. Moving his eyes slightly, Pitch noticed an arrow flying towards him. With a single hand, he grabbed the arrow, stopping it's movement completely. Merida's eyes widened in horror. Pitch turned to look at her. "Is this all you can do?"

"Don't underestimate us just yet!" A large blast of fire suddenly struck Pitch in the back. Letting out a roar of frustration, his grip on Jack loosened. The winter spirit fell onto the floor, coughing. Pitch turned around. His eyes blazed with anger. In the corner of his eye, he managed to catch a glimpse of a flurry of black and green zip by.

Toothless turned in the sky. Sharply spreading out his wings, the dragon changed direction. Shooting forward his mouth opened. A blast of fire heading straight towards Pitch. "Try some of that!" Hiccup yelled.

A small swirling cloud of black sand appeared in front of Pitch. As Toothless' attack hit, it as dissolved into darkness. Hiccup's jaw nearly fell open in surprise. In a whirlpool of black dust, Pitch disappeared again. Slowly, Jack propped himself onto his elbows. Looking up into the sky, Jack bit his lip before shouting, "Hiccup! Behind you!"

Turning around, Hiccup gasped as a large wave of Nightmares loomed over him. Pitch stood above them, towering proudly. "I can see you'd be the strongest of them with that dragon of yours," he cooed, a sinister smirk appearing on his face. "But let's see what you can do without it!" Bringing his arms down, Pitch gestured for the Nightmares to attack.

Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows. Pulling on the saddle, he lurched Toothlss to the left, diving down towards the ground. The wave of Nightmares split in half, one plunging downwards. Realizing Pitch was about to have him trapped, Hiccup pulled Toothless out his dive. Waves of Nightmares came from both sides, hitting the dragon-rider pair head on. Hiccup exclaimed in pain as Toothless roared.

"Hiccup!" Rapunzel and Merida screamed in unison. Hiccup forced himself to open his eyes, but could barely make out anything. The wave coming from above became stronger, pushing him and Toothless towards the ground. The black sand quickly cut past him. His body became covered in scratches. Seconds later, Hiccup felt the hard impact of a crash. With a giant lurch forward, Hiccup was thrown from Toothless' saddle. His chest landed hard on the dirt.

Coughing, Hiccup stumbled to his feet. Turning around, Toothless was on the ground. The dragon let out a soft moan. There were scrapes all over his dragon skin. When Hiccup gazed down onto himself, he realized that he wasn't in much of a better shape. Parts of his pants have been torn and his left sleeve had been ripped off completely. Surprisingly, Hiccup noticed that he didn't feel much pain. Most likely because he had more important things on his mind right now, and pain would just make things worse.

Toothless' wing was folded in. Hiccup bit his lip. Toothless was out of commission. Looking up into the sky, Hiccup shot Pitch an angry glare.

"Hiccup!" Jack choked out, pulling himself up on his staff. Merida and Rapunzel ran up to Hiccup from the opposite direction as Pitch materialized in front of them once again. Streams of black sand grew from the ground. Quickly, they wrapped themselves around Rapunzel's arms and legs, the girl yelping when she fell to the ground. Hiccup got out his knife and started to work his way through the restraints. But they didn't budge.

Merida bit her lip. "You son of a half troll," she barked, aiming her arrow at Pitch. As she released it, Pitch neatly sidestepped. "Those shots of yours are annoying," he said, turning to face the girl. Merida gulped. Pitch began to walk towards the three teenagers. A sharp, cold blast suddenly hit him from behind. Growling, Pitch turned to see Jack barely standing, his staff, glowing, pointed forward. "Stay away from my teammates."

"Then I'll take care of you first." Within seconds, he appeared behind Jack. The winter spirit snapped his head around, only to be met with a strong kick in the stomach, causing him to curl up. His body was sent flying towards the rest of the Defenders.

"Hiccup, watch out!" Merida pushed Hiccup onto the ground, making Jack crash right into her. The two were pushed to the ground. Pitch materialized once again behind them. Using his feet, he rolled Jack off of Merida before forcing Merida's back onto the ground.

"Merida!" Hiccup cried. In front of him, four of his friends were down. He shot Pitch an infuriated grin. Pitch circled around Hiccup. The boy followed Pitch, his hand gripping his sword. Pitch scoffed. "Don't bother," he said. "It's not like you know how to use that thing."

"Don't talk like you know me!" Hiccup retorted. Pitch stopped walking when he reached Toothless' side. Black ropes suddenly appeared, wrapping them around the dragon. Toothless roared. He tried to spread his wings, but they were pinned down tight. Hiccup pursed his lips in anger. Pitch turned to face Hiccup. "But I do know you, Hiccup. And I know your fears."

Jack began to saw where this was going. "Pitch," he forced himself to say. "Don't do it." The last time Pitch tortured him with his own fear, rubbing it right in his face, Jack nearly lost it. And it cost him and the Guardians a whole Easter.

"You're in no position to make any demands, Jack," said Pitch. "I still know your fear. It's not being believed in. Not as much as believing in your existence, but believing and trusting you." Jack glared at Pitch, knowing he was straight on the mark. The dark spirit turned to Merida and Rapunzel. "Merida, you're afraid of losing your family. Rapunzel's afraid of losing her freedom." He paused for a moment. "But the fear you feel, is nothing compared to what _he _feels." Upon saying "he", Pitch redirected his gaze straight towards Hiccup. The others followed his gaze. Hiccup stumbled back slightly. "What are you talking about?" Hiccup started to say, but the words came out more uncertain than he had hoped.

"Your fear is that you will be the cause of the loss of your friends and family," said Pitch. "It's a much stronger fear than the others. Because, they fear something external. But you, Hiccup, your fear is yourself. And your own body's weakness."

"Pitch!" Merida roared, struggling to stand up. "You say one more word about Hiccup and I'll stuff your Nightmares down your throat!"

"You can do that if you want," Pitch cooed. "But you can't escape the truth. You all know it. You all know once Hiccup looses his dragon, he's just a useless weak little boy. So don't play dumb with me."

The entire clearing fell silent. Hiccup took a step backward, ashamed. His gaze was directed as the grass. 'Pitch is right,' he thought solemnly to himself. 'Without Toothless, I'm useless. Just as useless as I was back during the war of the dragons. I had to have people save me. I had to rely on my father. In the Kill Ring I had to rely on Toothless, and I got him captured. Everyone knows I'm weak.'

His mind drifted to the time he sent with his friends. Snotlout had to bail him out on Outcast Island because he couldn't do it himself. Jack and Merida had made comments on his less than average physique. They treated it like a joke, but Hiccup knew it was all true. He bit his lip, hard. 'I don't want to be the cause for anyone's injuries. I don't want people to get hurt because of me and my weakness.'

"But I can ease that fear for you," Pitch suddenly said. Hiccup was immediately snapped out of his thoughts, turning to face the dark spirit. "I can make you strong. I'll give you strength. I'll give you power. You've seen what I can do." Looking around, Hiccup realized that Pitch had defeated them on his own, and he wasn't even trying hard yet. "You'll never have to be weak or feel helpless ever again." Pitch held out his hand. "Hiccup, join me."

The eyes of everyone widened. Another moment of silence descended upon them. The eyes of the teenagers and Toothless all drifted to Hiccup. Thoughts played around in his mind. It's true that Pitch was incredibly powerful. It wouldn't be surprising if he could grant him strength. And even he did stay weak, he wouldn't have to worry about getting Pitch hurt. Hiccup figured that Pitch was just that strong.

Hiccup exhaled loudly. "Thanks," he said, stopping for a moment. "But no thanks." Pitch's hand faltered as he looked at Hiccup in a curious manner. "You decline my offer?"

"While having incredible power would be nice," Hiccup began, "the strength you offer me, I believe, will result in the defeat of my teammates. And that's not what I want. The strength I want is the strength to protect, not the strength to hurt of kill."

Pitch's gaze darkened 'Well that didn't work,' he muttered in his mind. 'I'll have to go to plan B'. An evil smirk appeared on his face once again. Pitch placed a foot on Toothless. "Well then, I guess I'll have to take the Night Fury as a little souvenir. I'm sure Alvin will love it."

"You're working with Alvin?" Hiccup growled, his expression suddenly become dead serious.

"Yes, about that," grinned Pitch. "I think we already laid siege to your little island. They put up a fight, but I don't think that they managed to hold out for long. After all, Alvin now has dragons too. I'd say it would be a good finale if Alvin flew into the island flying the legendary Night Fury."

Hiccup clenched his fists up to the point of pain. Nails dug themselves into his palms. His gaze was filled with hate and anger. Pitch couldn't help but smile. 'That's it. Feel hate. An urge to kill. There's nothing wrong with that.' Hiccup's body did not move.

"Hiccup!" Jack shouted, trying to get his attention. "Hiccup, what are you doing standing there? Are you-" His voice suddenly stopped. Rapunzel turned her head towards Jack. "Jack, what's wrong."

The Winter Spirit swallowed the large lump in his throat. He looked straight at Hiccup's eyes. But instead of meeting bright, passionate emerald, he was faced with cold, pale and emotionless jade. "That's not Hiccup," he whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Merida, trying to push her body off the ground, but judging from how it ached she couldn't move much. "He's standing right there."

Jack turned to face Pitch, his eyes also blazing with anger. "It's Pitch," he said. "He's drawing out Hiccup's inner darkness." Merida and Rapunzel turned to each other, both with worried expressions. Pitch smiled, seeing his plan was working. Lure out the boy's hate and the rest would be a piece of cake.

"Hiccup!" called Merida, trying to get his attention. Hiccup turned around. The moment she locked her gaze with his, Merida felt a shiver went down her spine. Jack was right. This wasn't the Hiccup they all knew. Not when his eyes had such a strong urge, like it needed to kill something and rip it's head right off.

"Hiccup, snap out of it!" Rapunzel shouted. Berk's heir shot her a deadly glare that would've made Astrid, or even Gobber cower in fear. This was Hiccup's inner evil. The side of him he kept at bay hidden for so long, only to appear when he was consumed with hate.

Suddenly, a loud roar ripped through the tense atmosphere. Toothless roared as loud as he could, catching Hiccup's attention immediately. Toothless looked at his rider with his usual large eyes. Eyes that were filled with passion and love.

Something snapped inside Hiccup's mind. His pupils dilated for a second before returning to normal. His stance faltered, but Hiccup quickly caught himself. "Whoo!" he breathed. "That was close." Looking up, Hiccup once again had his usual compassionate gaze in his eyes. "Thanks, bud," he breathed.

"What?" Pitch gasped. "How did you-"

"Guess I care for my friends more than I want to hurt others," said Hiccup. His friends signed in relief. Hiccup turned to look at Toothless, still bounded by Pitch. "I'll get you back, Toothless."

"Oh no, you won't," Pitch suddenly said. Looking at him, Pitch readied a black arrow, aiming it straight towards Hiccup. "I'm going to have good old Gothel take care of him before passing him to Alvin. As for you, you are going to wish you had taken my offer."

The arrow was suddenly released. It zipped through the air. A split second later, it made contact with Hiccup, slicing his shoulder, which was directly in it's path. A shriek of pain tore from his lips.

"Hiccup!" screamed his friends all in unison. In a cloud of black dust, Pitch disappeared, taking Toothless with him.

Hiccup fell onto his knees, his right hand gripping the new wound. Blood seeped through this waistcoat and tunic. "Toothless," he choked out weakly. Rapunzel suddenly realized that her bounds disappeared along with Pitch. She quickly scrambled to her feet, running straight towards Hiccup. Jack pushed himself onto his staff and Merida finally managed to get herself off the floor.

Rapunzel caught Hiccup just as he fell. Her hands landed on the large wound. It was wet immediately. Gently, she turned him over. Hiccup grimaced in pain. Rapunzel brushed the hair from his face, revealing his eyes. "Okay, Hiccup," she said, slightly panicking. "Just keep your eyes open, and breathe. Everything's going to be fine."

The hand over his wound began to glow, yet very gently. Merida caught of glimpse of it. "Is that-?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Whatever's left of my healing abilities I presume. But it's not as strong as before. I won't be able to revive him if he dies."

Jack staggered over to his teammates. Hiccup's eyes slowly fluttered open. A weak smile formed on his lips. "At least no one else was injured this badly." With that, his eyelids started to close. Everything else became a blur. Even the sound of his friends frantically screaming his name became a distant echo.

–––––––––––

Okay, I know this isn't exactly the most original thing, but I just think it had to be done. Hiccup's fear and all. Plus, writing people's dark sides are actually kind of fun. Though I didn't expect it to end up becoming this long...

Next Chapter: The Last Defender


	11. The Last Defender

The final chapter! A lot of dialogue in this one.

**Chapter Ten: The Last Defender**

Standing triumphant atop the stairs to Berk's Great Hall was Alvin the Treacherous. He puffed up his chest high into the air. Looking down, he saw several burned down houses. But none of that was as beautiful as the sight at the bottom of the stairs. Stoick the Vast, unconscious, bounded by countless chains. Beside him was a group of viking teenagers.

"You couldn't possibly think you'd be able to defeat me, did you?" Alvin sneered, not even bothering to walk down the steps to gloat in front of his prisoners. "Without that Hiccup boy around, your village became easy pickings."

Astrid shot the Outcast Leader daggers with her glare. Alvin looked at her with an amused expression on his face. "I'll admit, Astrid," Alvin began happily, "you were the best rider after Hiccup. But face it, you were still no match for him."

"Just you wait, Alvin!" she roared. "As soon as Hiccup returns, he and Toothless are going to blow you to smithereens, you son of a half troll!" Savage appeared behind Astrid. Violently, he kicked her onto the ground, a groan escaping from her lips.

"Little Hiccup and his dragon?" Alvin chuckled sinisterly. "I won't exactly be counting on those two returning. Especially together."

In the shadows surrounding the Great Hall, a dark silhouette appeared. Pitch stepped out from the rocks. Alvin caught sight of him immediately. "Ah, Pitch. Where's the Night Fury?"

"I'm going to hold you to your deal, Alvin," said Pitch. "You're not getting the dragon yet. Not until you provide me with enough hopelessness, fear and misery that's going to provide me with a little more strength. Only then I'll give you the dragon."

"Like you aren't already powerful enough," Alvin muttered. "So, how was your little visit to our enemies?"

"Weak animals," Pitch commented nonchalantly. "But that Hiccup was an eagle. That is, until I took away that dragon of his. Then he was as useful as a fly. He must have some confidence. He refused my offer to allow him to join us."

"I tried that once already. It didn't work. The boy's as stubborn as his father." Alvin paused as he mused over what Pitch told him. "How much misery do you want?"

An evil smirk curled up Pitch's lips. "The more the merrier. For me, at least."

––––––––––––––

Hiccup felt his consciousness return. And the first thing he did was check that he still had both of his arms. They felt like metal, with his shoulder aching to the bone. After wriggling the two limbs for a moment and convincing himself that they were both still firmly attached, he slowly allowed his eyes to flutter open.

Straight over him, Jack, Merida and Rapunzel, with Pascal on her shoulder, looked down, all of them beaming excitedly. Jack was the first to read the expression on Hiccup's face. "Relax. Rapunzel took care of you. You still have both your arms."

The teenagers moved away, giving Hiccup some space to sit up. He turned to look at Rapunzel. "How did you-"

"Still had some magic left in me," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I called it out when I was really desperate to save someone. I did it with Eugene once."

"She easily saved your life," Merida added.

Nodding, Hiccup's gaze wandered around the room. Jack crouched down on the bedpost, his staff in his hands. He had his sweatshirt on and seemed to be moving normally. Hiccup figured it was safe to assume that he was all healed up. Merida stood behind Rapunzel. The two girls both looked fine, with slowly fading scratches that would leave minor scars. He noticed that they weren't in the tower anymore. "Where are we?"

"The Castle," replied Merida. "It seems that Rapunzel's a Princess too."

"Eugene carried you here," said Jack. "You were wounded pretty badly. The worst out of all of us, actually."

It was then it hit Hiccup like a ton of bricks. Despair rained down on him again.

"Toothless!" he suddenly shouted. Hiccup leaped to his feet, but quickly felt his shoulder sting again. Wincing, Hiccup grabbed his wound. Rapunzel stood up to support him. "Take it easy, Hiccup," she told him. "And no sudden movements. You were out for three days, but your body shouldn't be moving much yet. Stay down."

Gently, Hiccup sat back down onto the bed. He faced his friends with worried eyes. "Where's Toothless?"

Jack averted his gaze. His tone was solemn. "I'm sorry, Hiccup. Pitch took him."

A forlorn expression appeared on Hiccup's face. "No, no, no. It really was all my fault? Toothless is gone?" The despair inside Hiccup's heart slowly converted into anger. The boy slammed his fist into the mattress, prompting Rapunzel to move away from him.

"I think you should calm down," Merida nervously suggested, trying to break the tense mood.

"Calm down?" Hiccup repeated, his voice with a tinge of anger and hopelessness. "How can I calm down? It was all my fault. I just lost my best friend. And it was all my fault."

"Hiccup," Rapunzel said softly. She placed a hand on his good shoulder, hoping it would soothe his emotions. "It wasn't your fault."

"How?" Hiccup demanded fiercely. "If I knew how to fight without Toothless we at least could have stand more of a chance against Pitch."

"Well, it is true that we were all easily annihilated," Jack added under his breath, in which Rapunzel shot him a glare saying 'not helping'.

"What I'm sure Jack is trying to say," said Merida, sending the winter spirit an annoyed look. "Is that we were all too weak to fight Pitch."

"The way you say it makes it seems like we were a bunch of weaklings," grumbled Jack.

"It's not like yours was any better," Merida muttered.

"Guys," said Rapunzel, cutting in. "Please lower the noise. Hiccup needs his rest." As if on cue, Hiccup pushed himself off the bed, staggered to his feet. His hands stumbled around, eventually reaching the scabbard that held Endeavour. Hiccup could feel his friends' eyes on him. "We're all going to have to get stronger if we want to defeat Pitch," he said. Hiccup unsheathed half the sword, giving his friends a glimpse of the beautiful silver blade. "Grimbeard the Ghastly was a renowned sword fighter. And I'm going to follow in his footsteps."

"I can teach him if you want."

Turning their heads towards the entrance, the teenagers noticed the Eugene was leaning against the doorframe. "You'll what?" Rapunzel blurted out.

"Teach Hiccup sword-fighting," the former thief answered. "Back during the thieving days, I had to know how to survive. Swordplay was a basic skill. You've seen me with the frying pan."

Hiccup gave Eugene a smile of gratitude. "Thanks." He turned to face the rest of his friends, his expression gentle. "Answer me honestly guys. Do you think I'm weak?"

"No," all of his friends replied a split second later. It was like they didn't put a single thought into it. They just knew the answer. Hiccup redirected his gaze to the floor. "I don't get it."

"What's there to get?" Jack asked in reply. "You can ride the fastest and most dangerous dragon in your world. You managed to end a war. You fight against dragons and other vikings on a daily basis."

"I meant without Toothless," Hiccup clarified.

"Still no," Merida answered. Her arms were folded across her chest. "Just being able to eat haggis should be considered an incredible feat."

"And if you're still skeptical," Rapunzel began. "If you're strong physically, at least you're strong here." Upon finishing her sentence, Rapunzel placed a finger right on the skin above Hiccup's heart. The young viking gave his teammates a warm smile. Rapunzel stood up. "Well, it's not like you're the only one who's going to need to get stronger around here."

Eugene gave his wife a curious look. "Rapunzel, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," the Princess began, stretching a little, "that Jack needs to let me into his little team."

"What?" Jack suddenly blurted out.

"Think about it," said Rapunzel. "You guys need someone to look after you. I'm not saying that you're kids-"

"Which you are," Eugene quickly cut it for a moment.

"-but you do need someone to look after your wounds and heal you guys back to health. And I think I'm the best choice."

"She's got a point, Frost," said Merida.

"I second that," Hiccup added. Smiling, Jack turned to Rapunzel. "Looks like we've got our last Defender of Realms." Rapunzel returned the Winter Spirit's smile.

"Now that that's settled, I need a weapon," the princess replied enthusiastically. "Not a frying pan. Something I find familiar. Like a whip."

"We should be able to find one in the kingdom," said Eugene. "When do you want to start your training?"

"Now," Hiccup and Rapunzel answered simultaneously. Rapunzel gently pushed Hiccup back onto the bed. "You, need to rest."

"Fine," Hiccup muttered. "Then I'll train."

"I'll be looking forward to it," said Eugene. Jack hopped off his staff and poked the window of the room. Icicles formed at it's rims. "So after this training, what do you guys want to do?"

"Kick Pitch's ass," Hiccup suggested from the bed. Merida nudged him on his good arm playfully. "Took the words right out of my mouth, Haddock."

"How does this sound," began Jack. "We train, we get Toothless back from Gothel, who by some miracle is still alive according to Pitch. We take back Berk, and we force Pitch back under that little bed of his?"

"And make sure he stays there," Merida added. "And we're going to do it all in what, three months?"

"Sounds like a good plan," said Rapunzel.

"Alright. So in three months, we make our counterattack," Hiccup clarified. Jack nodded. "Yes, that's how it's going to go. Until then, we need to do our best at training. And be sure that when Pitch sees us next time, we're going to make him pee his pants."

The other Defenders laughed. "We'll take him up on that challenge."

–––––––––––––––––––

Sitting in a damp corner, an old woman loomed over a creature. The beast was bound in countless chains, all of them pinning his most dangerous limbs, most notably the wings and mouth to the ground. The cell was dark and cold. Barely any sunlight made it's way inside and it wreaked of dead rat.

The cell's door suddenly swung open. Pitch stepped in and turned to face the woman. "Ah, Gothel," he said. "How's the dragon doing."

"He's doing fine, Pitch," Gothel replied. "Though I doubt he'll be eating anything in that condition of his."

"Well, you owe me for saving your life when you fell out of that tower, Gothel," Pitch reminded the old hag in a dark tone. "Your life was supposed to end. You're lucky I granted you more time. But it comes with a price."

"Don't worry," said Gothel. "I'll keep the dragon alive."

"You'd better," growled Pitch. "Or you'll be the one begging to live. Until then, make sure the dragon doesn't even see a shred of hope."

As the beings talked, Toothless listened intently. His ears occasionally perked up. He couldn't pick up any information on his rider. But Hiccup was stubborn and he knew that. Hiccup would never give up on him. He would be rescued, no matter how long it would take.

The dragon's mind flashed back to the battle in the clearing. They weren't strong enough. But if he could make it through this and keep his health, his body would become stronger. Until then, he would have to wait. Because no matter how long it will take, Hiccup will come.

And thus begins three separate adventures. The training of our heroes. The survival of the Night Fury. And Pitch's forces gathering more power. The only question that remains will be: which side will be more prepared to face the other?

_To be continued_

–––––––––––

Thank you to everyone who has supported this story!

_No, it is not over. _

I have planned from the start that the "Defenders of Realms" is a three-part story. And just the first part is over. Look out for the sequel I will publish some time next week: "Preparations".

Summary:

With the Defenders complete, Jack, Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel prepare for the upcoming battle against Pitch. Hiccup and Rapunzel stay in Corona to train while Jack and Merida travel to DunBroch. There, they find clues to Toothless' whereabouts. But with the Compass damaged, our heroes must now reunite before Pitch hunts them off one by one.


End file.
